Our Lady Peace - Healthy in Paranoid Times
Deeply motivated by today’s social climate, Our Lady Peace finds a smooth balance between enjoyable music, and deep-thinking lyrics
I must admit, I do come to this review with a slight bias on my part. I’ve been a fan of the Canadian rock outfit Our Lady Peace since the days of their first album, Naveed. The first time I heard lead U.S. single “Starseed” tearing up the airwaves on the little corner stereo in my room, way back in the mid-early 90’s, I knew this was the kind of music I was destined to listen to. Following it up with the hugely successful sophomore effort Clumsy, Our Lady Peace only acted to cement their place in my heart as one of my favorite bands. “Superman’s Dead,” and title track “Clumsy” practically ruled alternative radio. Ohh, those were the days.
The late 90’s found the band leaning more toward an underground experimental pop-edge with Happiness Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch. (I must admit, I have a promotional poster from a European date promoting this album hanging in the den of my apartment. Go ahead—mock me.) Barely a year after Happiness hit shelves, OLP made they way back into the mainstream with their early 00’s record Spiritual Machines. Anchored by hit singles “Life,” and “Right Behind You (Mafia),” this scientifically hypothetical inspired record pushed toward the art-rock side of the spectrum.
On their follow-up to Spiritual Machines, co-founding guitarist Mike Turner left the band. Also, through the split, the decision was made to abandon long time producer Arnold Lanni for Bob Rock (Metallica … uggh). After some grueling auditions, guitarist Steve Mazur eventually found himself permanently in the line-up. Sadly, the quality of the album they were working on during this time, eventually dubbed Gravity, suffered somewhat due to the strains. The lyrics were fairly sophomoric, and the production was far too polished for their raw sound.
And it is here, now fully caught up with the present, that we take a look at Our Lady Peace’s latest effort: Healthy in Paranoid Times. It is almost impossible to review this album without mentioning lead singer Raine Maida’s extensive work with the peace organization War Child. Over the last few years, Maida has landed himself in the dead running to become the next Bono; making extensive trips into third world countries to help those who are suffering, and becoming an outspoken activist among today’s musicians.
It is quite noticeable that Maida’s philosophical and social views come full circle on this record. Deeply motivated by today’s social climate, Our Lady Peace finds a smooth balance between enjoyable music, and deep-thinking lyrics. This is surely one of the most mature albums that the group has made to date; and stands quite strongly in the post-American Idiot world of politically-minded rock records. The album opens with the punchy “Angels/Losing/Sleep,” and is represented on the airwaves by jaunty first single “Where Are You.” Highlights include the darkly played track “Wipe That Smile Off Your Face,” U2-tinged “Boy,” and the gorgeous, subdued album closer “Al Genina (Leave A Light On).” Sung with such passion, and child-like hope (choked with cynicism); it is truly a gorgeous tune.
In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, I do highly recommend this record. Obviously, I come at this with a slight bias. But hey, isn’t bias (and opposable thumbs) what makes us human? Having had my hopes dashed by a flailing last effort (Gravity) does truly make me all the more cautious when looking at this one. But trust me, Healthy is really a solid record. I left my ‘fanboy’ cred at the door of numerous message boards a long time ago. The songwriting found here is mature, the song structures are catchy, and the material is just unbeatable. You should definitely check this one out.
(Sony Music)