Sunday, August 09, 2009
A+E, Music, Reviews

Our Lady Peace

“BURN BURN”  (OUR LADY PEACE)

Substantial acclaim in Canada is no guarantee of American success—just ask the Tragically Hip and Blue Rodeo. Our Lady Peace has been slogging out its combination of glam-inflected, U2-inspired rock since 1995 without much traction in the States, despite multiplatinum Canadian sales and four Juno awards. Sony, which had championed the act since its debut, finally lost interest, resulting in OLP’s first self-recorded effort.

    This well-produced set focuses, as usual, on singer-songwriter Raine Maida, whose Bowie-esque vocals are the group’s primary identifiable aspect. These songs all sport arena-sized hooks and the kind of generically slick production and arrangements that make Matchbox Twenty such a guilty pleasure.

     Still, by about halfway through the brief 38-minute playing time, the melodies melt together, the sound becomes monotonous, Maida’s unique singing tics, which seemed fresh only 15 minutes before, feel forced, and the tunes lose their drama. It’s as if the band is trying too hard to generate a hit, instead of writing songs from the heart, adding soaring guitars and crashing drums to appeal to as wide an (American) audience as possible.

    Taken individually, though, tunes such as the ballad “Signs of Life” are sharply constructed adult rock that could provide the band with that as-yet elusive American hit. Considering its 15-year history, OLP has earned the right to aim a little lower, and deserves some of the attention and respect that comes so naturally north of the border. 2.5 STARS—Hal Horowitz