by Dan Grote
Those who have followed the career of the
Canadian four-member outfit Our Lady Peace may have noticed that the gaps
in time between the band’s albums have decreased over the years, so much
so that only a year has passed since OLP’s previous album, the high concept
Spiritual Machines. Barely a blip on the radar, perhaps Machines’ low visibility
prompted lead singer Raine Maida to begin writing songs at a Rivers Cuomian
pace.
Following that same vein, the band has
also returned to writing straight up rock songs, while at the same time
making a grab for the VH1 audience with one or two mega-friendly numbers
that harken back to the band’s biggest hit, 1998’s “Clumsy.”
Gravity’s big platinum push revolves around
“Somewhere out There,” a stereotypical modern rock-with-strings ballad
that removes the band from the “poor man’s Smashing Pumpkins” comparisons
of yore to perhaps even more dubious Goo Goo Dolls comparisons. While catchy,
“Somewhere out There” may alienate fans who enjoyed the band’s earlier
work, such as “Starseed,” “Superman’s Dead” and “One Man Army.”
However, there are some songs that remind
fans of a time when OLP used to rock. The first track, “All for You,” is
good old-fashioned ‘Peace, with lyrics about snubbing a torn suburbia and
looking for a new Jack Kerouac. “Innocent” opens up with an inviting drum
line that leads into a good song on the whole. Even the slow songs have
potential, such as the back-half moodpiece “Bring Back the Sun.” “Do You
Like It,” sandwiched between “All for You” and “Somewhere out There,” will
most likely be the next single, as it bridges the gap between Gravity’s
most fan-friendly and radio-friendly songs.
On the other hand, the other five songs
on the album tend to be a bit less memorable and flow in and out of one
another so nothing really happens between “Innocent” and “Bring Back the
Sun,” which amounts to a big, five-song memory block.
VERDICT: The previous album’s ambition
may have cost the band on Gravity, as the attention paid to the singles
and single hopefuls detracts from what could otherwise be a more impressive
album. Though well-produced, there’s still a feeling that the band tried
to rush a pop-friendly album out and pray that it stuck just enough to
buy a few more minutes of notoriety, which is a shame because OLP are a
good band, and Gravity should by no means ruin their credibility.
CD Info
Our
Lady Peace -Gravity
Label: Columbia
Records
Rating:  
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