Burn Burn: The Reviews

Driven · Post by **Driven** » 7/20/2009, 12:25 pm

The bridge in Never Get Over You sounds just like Black Balloon. Or maybe I'm thinking of Iris. Either way, the first thing I thought was that it sounded like the Goo Goo Dolls.

Automatic · Post by **Automatic** » 7/20/2009, 7:19 pm

Driven wrote:He didn't review Naveed.

My bad. My original comment stands the same though - he doesn't get OLP and MacKenzie Wilson doesn't get Naveed.

MindsOnLoan · Post by **MindsOnLoan** » 7/20/2009, 7:22 pm

I think it's a bit ridiculous to say everything he said about the album is wrong though. I do agree that from what I've heard, the album doesn't have some astounding energy that played a vital role in making past albums great. Burn Burn is not a bad album by any means, but it's far from their best.

Heavy Alibi · Post by **Heavy Alibi** » 7/20/2009, 7:26 pm

MindsOnLoan wrote:I think it's a bit ridiculous to say everything he said about the album is wrong though. I do agree that from what I've heard, the album doesn't have some astounding energy that played a vital role in making past albums great. Burn Burn is not a bad album by any means, but it's far from their best.

Yeah I agree wholeheartedly with his comment about the energy that made the past albums amazing... take Right Behind You for example, on the surface it's just like any other run-of-the-mill song, but it's fast paced feel and great energy + Raine's voice make it something totally different. I can imagine that if RBY was written by the 2009 OLP and it would sound a lot different. And vice versa for Burn Burn songs being written by the 1999 OLP.

todddowney · Post by **todddowney** » 7/21/2009, 7:31 am

Sputnik Music -- 4/5

http://sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=31492

Summary: Burn Burn isn't Naveed II, but it is their most consistent work since Spiritual Machines.

Let's get a couple things straight right away. Burn Burn does not sound like Naveed. Nor was Burn Burn ever intended to sound like Naveed. When Raine Maida announced Our Lady Peace's seventh album last fall, he called it the "closest record to Naveed." Of course, after the vague comparison to the band's debut, people stopped paying attention and missed the explanation. When Raine compared the album to Naveed, he was referring to the way the album was made rather than the way the music sounded. Not unlike Naveed or even Maida's solo record, The Hunters Lullaby, Burn Burn was written, recorded, and produced without any outside intrusions.

In many respects, the tense conditions of the Healthy in Paranoid Times sessions took away from the final product. It isn't any secret that the band almost broke up during the two years it took to make the album, and as good of a record as it was, it was a clear step down from the material the band used to pen. Some of the songs, most notably "Don't Stop" and "Boy" sounded horribly average and forced. In contrast, the making of Burn Burn went a whole lot more smoothly, and it shows. For Burn Burn is not only a tighter, more natural sounding release than its predecessor, but it's a stronger record in virtually every regard.

While Our Lady Peace has adjusted their sound a little with each album, Burn Burn represents some of the mellowest material the band has written in their career. Songs like "Monkey Brains" and "Dreamland", and the bridge of "Never Get Over You" evoke vintage Our Lady Peace, but for the most part Burn Burn represents a change in direction. The aforementioned "Monkey Brains" is the only track in which guitarist Steve Mazur relies heavily on gritty distortion, and even then the song features a beautiful acoustic break not unlike Clumsy's "Superman's Dead". That isn't to say that Burn Burn is lacking in rock songs; the upbeat "White Flags" is another infectious guitar lead track that lacks the aggression of "Monkey Brains" but makes up for it through sheer enthusiasm, while "All You Did Was Save My Life" is a soaring piece that combines Our Lady Peace's anthemic sound with the introspective lyrical work similar to The Hunters Lullaby.

That said, Burn Burn particularly focuses on slower tracks, a role in which the band particularly shines. Our Lady Peace explores a variety of different themes and styles; "Refuge" is a delicate, sparse piece carried by Maida's sympathetic lyrical delivery and one of drummer Jeremy Taggart's finest performances, whereas "Paper Moon" is a more open sounding track which sees Maida incorporating a light falsetto that hasn't been heard in Our Lady Peace's music since Spiritual Machines. "Signs of Life" strips down Our Lady Peace's sound even more than "Refuge", embracing acoustic dynamics previously foreign to their sound. From the piano melodies that snake through "Never Get Over You" – directly at first and later subtly – to the lengthy guitar solo in "Paper Moon", Our Lady Peace integrates an assortment of different ideas that make Burn Burn as diverse as any of their works thus far.

In Burn Burn, Our Lady Peace haven't released the album so many people wanted to hear – that being Naveed II –, but they have released their most consistent work since Spiritual Machines. The record doesn't particularly sound like anything Our Lady Peace has done in the past, but maybe that is what's so exciting about the quartet's seventh release. Each of Burn Burn's ten tracks has something to offer, be it the subdued excellence of "Signs of Life", the lively aggression of "Monkey Brains" or even the simple optimism of "Dreamland". Really, that's all I really wanted from Burn Burn. And unsurprisingly, Our Lady Peace delivers.

m2 · Post by m2 » 7/21/2009, 7:57 am

these reviews aren't great /:

Codes · Post by **Codes** » 7/21/2009, 8:25 am

Huh? most of them are like 4/5 stars

Mark Loj · Post by **Mark Loj** » 7/21/2009, 8:27 am

Good or bad reviews. I think the fan's perspective of the album is more important. And I think the majority of us can agree this is a great album. Not their best, but all in all it's the most exciting thing they've put out since SM eight years ago. I'm happy. Fuck the reviews.

todddowney · Post by **todddowney** » 7/21/2009, 8:28 am

[quote="Mark Loj"]Good or bad reviews. I think the fan's perspective of the album is more important. And I think the majority of us can agree this is a great album. Not their best, but all in all it's the most exciting thing they've put out since SM eight years ago. I'm happy. Fuck the reviews.[/

Agree

m2 · Post by m2 » 7/21/2009, 8:30 am

Codes wrote:Huh? most of them are like 4/5 stars

on .cc they have reviews and none pass 3 stars. boo

DG · Post by DG » 7/22/2009, 1:17 pm

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/ ... index.html

Tattooed Angels · Post by **Tattooed Angels** » 7/22/2009, 2:45 pm

I got aton of reviews from online. Not sure what was put up or not. Just putting the links. Some are professional. Some fanbased. Just putting up all I saw.

http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainme ... story.html

http://www.coastreporter.net/article/GB ... late=cpart

http://www.hellomagazine.ca/news/200907 ... e/maida/1/

http://www.andpop.com/2009/07/21/our-la ... e-concert/

http://strings-shootingstars.blogspot.c ... -lady.html

http://rawkfistmusic.com/2009/07/21/our ... burn-2009/

http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainm ... story.html

Rural Juror · Post by **Rural Juror** » 7/22/2009, 2:54 pm

Rawkfist Music wrote:Guitarist Mike Turner gets to turn in some memorable riffs on tracks like “Escape Artist”...

Bahahaha.

m2 · Post by m2 » 7/22/2009, 2:56 pm

HA that makes me sad ):

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 7/22/2009, 2:59 pm

Reviews are finicky things. Remember this? http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/alb ... m=CDreview

Yes, Rollingstone gave Nirvana's "Nevermind" three stars back in 1991. The same album they named the 17th greatest album of all time in 2003. Right below Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks."

reza · Post by **reza** » 7/23/2009, 5:33 am

Good point, the only opinion that matters is your own and if you really need to validate your favourite band, don't read any further than what fans have to say. They have greater insight into the music than a music reviewer.

iTunes reviews have given it 4/5 for the deluxe and 4.5/5 for the standalone album. Not too shabby.

Tattooed Angels · Post by **Tattooed Angels** » 7/23/2009, 10:35 am

here are a few more I found..

http://www.fazermagazine.com/2009/07/22 ... rn-review/

http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/music ... burn-4151/

LifeRiot · Post by **LifeRiot** » 7/23/2009, 11:04 am

Well, one thing is certain; everyone thinks Raine Maida is a pompous self absorbed asshole. And lately, with all his interviews, I tend to not disagree.

How many times has OLP be "a new band" on a "new level" being "the best we've ever been" on our "best record to date in our opinion."

Trustworthy · Post by **Trustworthy** » 7/23/2009, 11:05 am

there are a bunch in the .net news as well.

reza · Post by **reza** » 7/23/2009, 11:08 am

LifeRiot wrote:Well, one thing is certain; everyone thinks Raine Maida is a pompous self absorbed asshole. And lately, with all his interviews, I tend to not disagree.

How many times has OLP be "a new band" on a "new level" being "the best we've ever been" on our "best record to date in our opinion."

That's common for most bands, it would be dumb from a business perspective if you say that the best stuff you made was ten years ago. I think that people think that he's arrogant because he doesn't like being in the press as much as other artists.