Reviews
Our Lady Peace
Healthy In Paranoid Times
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Add to del.ico.us.Review Date: 2005-09-01
Alright so i am still nowhere near 100 percent and i don't see myself being anytime soon. But I am feeling ok after getting a massage and having a relatively relaxing night so I have decided to tackle a review. However, i haven't been spending much time near the computer and listening to music as of late so the style is being altered. I have only heard the lead single off the latest Our Lady Peace album "Healthy In Paranoid Times". I am intrigued to say the least as to what I am about to experience.
There was a time in my life when Our Lady Peace was one of my favourite bands, and when I viewed them as being innovative and unique in the industry. Then there was a time when I thought of them as total sellouts, and had essentially written them off for dead. Funny how things change. After an extended hiatus, my interest was perked when I heard they had a new disc out. When I heard the single and liked it that gave them more momentum. But what about the album? Does Our Lady Peace do enough to become relevant again? Or is it just another attempt to cash in on past success. We are about to find out.
Track #1 "Angels Losing Sleep":
Opening with a surprisingly pleasant soft acoustic part you can tell as soon as Raine's voice kicks in that it is going to be an artsy, dramatic song. Then again Our Lady Peace is always heavy on the drama. Don't get me wrong I love his voice but I think he often doesn't utilize it right at all. This song is stock between a glorified pop song, and an actual rock song and nowhere's land is a bad land to be in. I also think the over production on this track takes away from the rawness that the band used to work with.
SCORE: 5.6 (I can't fail it, but this isn't much of a way to start the album. Hopefully it gets better.)
Track #2 "Will The Future Blame Us"
Ok this is more like it, a rock song beginning with Raine making weird vocal falsetto noises in the background. This is what i remember about Our Lady Peace.... or maybe not? Hmmm, well the start has faded now and this is pure generic rock. What happened to the manic, unstable sound that pumped me up so much when I was an angst filled teen? PS im doing most of this with my eyes closed to stop the nausea so don't mind spelling mistakes.
SCORE: 4.75 (BORING! This is what it sounds like going through the motions.)
Track #3 "Picture":
I'm beginning to wish i didn't give this shit a chance. Another song that starts off boring me to death. Did somebody cut off Raine's balls? Because they are definitely missing in action so far on this album. This song is a total snooze fest, moving along slowly without any notable instrumentation, and vocally has no redeeming qualities. The band never was much for lyrics so that doesn't save them either.
SCORE: 4.0 (Why are the songs getting worse rather than better?)
Track #4 "Where Are You":
The band shoulda made a fucking album filled with songs like this. None of the bullshit artsy pop ballads, none of the boring slow motion snooze-fests. ROCK SONGS! What made you big in the first place. But this song I really like. The progressive guitar, the somewhat manic performance by Raine and allowing him to actually shout and raise his voice the way his voice was meant to be used. It still plays a bit like Our Lady Peace from the retirement home, not quite capable to crank it up anymore. I would bet big money that this song which I found promising is the best song on the album by an absolute landslide.
SCORE: 7.4 (This is a good song, and clearly was the best choice as a lead single. I'm sure people who bought the album are pleased..... and that is sarcastic just in case you didn't pick it up.)
Track #5 "Wipe That Smile Off Your Face":
The beginning of this reminds me of an Ozzy ballad or something but no... because it doesn't pick up pace like an Ozzy song would. This song plods along as Raine spits out some of the lamest lyrics on the album. Not surprising, you could tell by the song title this song was going to lick balls. Oh shit! Rock guitar is in the hizouse. At 2 minutes in the band briefly takes the patnies off and knocks down some hard electric guitar in a brief jam out. And then in a flash like Pauly Shore's new tv show the good is gone and we are back to the slow jam.
SCORE: 4.6 (I thought about passing it then I thought why for 30 seconds of rocking out does a 4 minute and 22 second song deserve to pass? No it doesn't.)
Track #6 "Low And Trust":
Hmmm, i'm intrigued here. This song starts with a drumroll and I think some piano. Has a bit of a bounce to it. Not rocking, but could be interesting. We'll see. Somebody must have told Raine that it is a crime to start hard, and then slow down because he never does it. Every song builds up to him singing harder, or sometimes he just neglects it. Yeah I was wrong, nothing interesting happening here. This song kinda sounds like a U2 song with Raine singing instead of Bono. In other words this song sounds like what comes out of your ass.
SCORE: 3.25 (B-R-U-T-A-L)
Track #7 "Boy":
Hmm does this song name make you think rock song? Not me. Let's find out. Oh what a surprise, he starts singing slowly while the band which has seriously only impressed me for thirty seconds when they were jamming is one cruise control again. This song never picks up, just does the same boring monotone sound all the way through. Look i don't only like rock music, but when you are going to make music like this it needs layers, good lyrics, and something to keep your attention. This doesn't have any of the three.
SCORE: 4.0 (What I have basically done here is given myself back to back sabotages by taking on this shite album.)
Track #9 "The World On A String":
I'm shocked. This song sounds completely different, and has actually caught my attention here. The song has a kinda bouncey fun rock song to it. This isn't great by any means, and the background vocals are a disaster but I have to point out at least that this song sticks out as being different. Why do they always play the same riff the entire song? You can frame a song around a riff without having to repeat it the entire song. Still, this is clearly the second best song so far. It still is hardly anything to write home about but i wouldn't doubt it will be the second single.
SCORE: 6.25 (Not even average, but not a fail. And on this album, that is progress.)
Track #10 "Don't Stop":
I wonder if what shook OLP is when Billy Corgan accused them of totally hacking their sound. This song opens off sounding like a Pumpkins song which is why I am reminded of that. Look, if the best you can be is to be known as the band that was good at ripping off the Pumpkins that isn't bad at all. Better than being known as being awful. The Pumpkins comparison lasts 30 seconds before morphing into another pathetic attempt at an emotional rocky/pop song.
SCORE: 4.8 (Still one of the better attempts, but i am not cutting this band any slack.)
Track #11 "Circles":
This band has become about as simplistic as their song names. It offends me when bands literally reach into their fans' pockets and steal their money by putting out inferior music. This song tries to rock, but the constant looping boring guitar riff again devastates any chance it has of succeeding. I heard the band almost broke up recording this, and the only part that is disappointing about that is the word almost.
SCORE: 4.5 (I want to burn my OLP cds.)
Track #12 "Al Genina (Leave A Light On)"
A bit more ambitious of a song title than Circles, so does that mean the song will be better? I doubt it. I kinda like the frame of the song, the gentle acoustic and the ambient kinda background noise against the soft delicate vocals of Raine. When I saw OLP live they did a few softer songs and really knocked them out of the park. I like this song because it doesn't pretend to be rock here, it allows the band to excel at the one sound. But the song is only 2 minutes and 15 seconds and seems to end before it ever gets started. Half a good song gets half a good score.
SCORE: 5.0 (You get me saying nice things about you and then the songs ends before it gets started.)
Score: 4
Too nauseated to add it all up but as you can tell this fails hard and this band no longer exists as far as I am concerned. I hope somebody robs each of their homes, because that is what they are doing to their fans. - Dan