Review Summary: Healthy In Paranoid Times is an apparent farewell to the metaphoric lyrics, the consistency of the songs, and, most deplorable, the long-abandoned falsetto.
Anyone who calls themself an Our Lady Peace fan, whether they enjoyed
Gravity or not, was anxious to hear what was next for the band following the mega-hit. With the departure of former guitarist Mike Turner, we were all wondering whether the fill-in from
Gravity could fill the shoes left to him. Depending on your point of view, the album is either a mature, thought-provoking gem or it's an apparent farewell to the metaphoric lyrics, the consistency of the songs, and most deplorable, the long-abandoned falsetto. I'm leaning toward the latter.
Maybe it was wishful thinking to fantasize that after 1165 days spent recording, 43 tracks having been recorded, and us each having swallowed 42 insects (À la album cover), we would get to see some of the things we've come to enjoy about Our Lady Peace. Then again, maybe I'm just an optimist. After the release of
Gravity, frontman Raine Maida had done some soul-searching all over the globe and fell into the celebrity trap of turning a band into a political statement to raise awareness for "the cause". Now don't get me wrong, I think its important that these things are heard but it seems like many of these bands are just jumping on the bandwagon now.
The songs featured on the album range from being fantastic tunes to being extreme disappointments with too much ambition and not enough following-through. The disc starts with it's best foot forward, cranking out the well-recieved and genuinely catchy
Angels/Losing/Sleep. This leads into the equally captivating
Will the Future Blame Us. The not-so-gradual drop in quality follows this song, perpetuated by lyrics as deep as a puddle (
Apology's "I'm the lock, you're the key") and as repetitive as a Beatles song (
Wipe That Smile Off Your Face's wipe that smile, wipe that smile, I'm gonna wipe that smile off your face... wipe that smile, wipe that smile...").
The last track is a redeeming factor for the album; it's depth and emotion is successful at lifting some of the disappointment garnered in tracks 3-11. Almost remeniscent of
Spiritual Machine's Are You Sad?, it is worthy of mention and does something to make you feel like the album was worth having, if only to complete your collection of OLP CD's. All in all, the album is best suited for getting the three good songs onto your mp3 player and subsequently being shelved.
