by astute_99 » 10/8/2013, 11:30 am
Looking at it through broader strokes, I think it's a very natural evolution for the band after Turner/Lanni left. They used Bob Rock as a tool to find a new sound, but with Steve just wetting his chops in the band, and while some experimentation worked and others didn't, they weren't happy with either the result or the process (HIPT). After which, they decided just to get down to basics, and while the result wasn't their best effort (BB), they were also learning what it takes to be fully independent and to find their way with the new dynamic that Steve brought (yes, I think it took them 2+ albums to figure it out).
Curve is the next step in that progression, and I think they've gotten closest to the sound that best signifies what OLP in it's current configuration is (as Raine has mentioned many times). Maybe it doesn't blow people out of the water like SM did, but you have to realize what they went through to get to this point. Maybe it was a slower evolution than most fans would have preferred, but ultimately necessary. You can say it was ten years of shit music, but you could also say that it was a band that had incredible success when they were younger, and then were trying to find out what they're really all about. Call it a mid-life crisis, in a way.
I, for one, am happy with the way it ultimately worked out. I think the band is as good now as they've ever been, and they're finally fully aware of their capabilities as song-writers, and as a band. Sure, they had to suffer and almost break up to get there, but that's part of the process sometimes.
That's why I may be more excited for OLP #9 than I have been for any album since SM. We're finally going to see what a fully independent OLP firing on all cylinders sounds like. I'm stoked.
-Ken-
Be all that you envy...