M2 wrote:ivewaited wrote:what songs did mike have writing credits in off of gravity?
bring back the sun, story of a girl, and all for you, right?
I did my research and he did everything except somewhere out there and made of steel.
MindsOnLoan wrote:So... Here's my little review for Burn Burn, for anyone who cares.
When the word about Our Lady Peace's latest studio effort, "Burn Burn," made it's way to the general public, things started off a bit shakey. With promises of a return to their roots and a proper rock record, fans heard the album's first single, "All You Did Was Save My Life." The panic among the die-hards was almost unanimous. For what many fans find as arguably their worst song, to have it as the first peak at the record was a bit heart-breaking to say the least. Some kept their hope, while others were losing it quickly. The opinions started to turn around though once the sample of "Monkey Brains" made it's way to ourladypeace.net, along with the full song release of "Paper Moon." Whether or not the optimistic and pessimistic outlooks were justified lies all in the opinion of those who hold it though.
The record turns out to be a bit bittersweet. We finally see the band making attempts at bringing back the creativity to their music, which is what fans have been waiting for since 2002, when "Gravity" brought the fall of their poppy-yet-strange music. Some songs succeed at this, while others fail. The bitter side to this record is the band has shed the skin of an alternative rock band, and has joined the ranks of power ballad bands such as Lifehouse. Don't get me wrong though, they are better than the average power ballad band as they can still kick out rock songs such as "Monkey Brains," but it seems as if the band has lost a bit of the passion and energy to do more of this.
There's nothing wrong with having a softer song (or even a ballad) here and there, but Burn Burn overdoes it. The album has two songs that wouldn't be considered ballads or power ballads throughout the majority of the song, those being "Monkey Brains" and "White Flags." When seeing the cover and hearing the title, one would be inclined to think that the band finally has that fire lit once again for a dark, heavy fist-clenching record. Sadly, you'd be mistaken. Instead your ears are met with somber vocals and lyrics of love lost. Once again, there's nothing wrong with it here and there, but Burn Burn doesn't seem to want to step out of it's own formula.
Predictability is yet another problem. After a few songs you can pretty much say, "Well this next one will be verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, probably a solo, and some more of the chorus. Oh yeah, and it'll start kind soft and build, but not build up to too much." There are a few exceptions to this formula, such as "White Flags" and "Monkey Brains" being heavier throughout (along with Monkey Brains' unexpected bridge; not it's position, just it's sound) and Paper Moon's lack of a bridge and unneeded extra choruses.
For the first time in the band's existance, I find that the bridges are weak. This causes a lot of songs to feel as if they've overstayed their welcome after the second chorus. Fine examples of this are "Dreamland," "Never Get Over You," and "The End Is Where We Begin."
Sadly, Jeremy Taggart is absent yet again for a good portion of this record. In a lot of these songs, you can just imagine him doing something a bit or more complex, if not unconventional. Instead he sticks with the most basic and uninspired drums beats for just about every song. He may play around with the hi-hats a bit, but his work on the toms and snare seem to be just about the same for every song during the verses. I only wish he would experiment a bit more. However, we do get to see him shine on the band favorite, "Refuge," and he does have a few good moments in the chorus of "Dreamland." I also like his simple yet effective drumming that opens up "Escape Artist," even if I wish he would have build on later in the song to make some more "odd" drum fills.
I'm proud to say Duncan Coutts is back as a force on this record. He makes noticable appearances on this record having nice grooves, and even when he's doing something more straight-forward and simple, he's at least noticable. It's a nice change from the past two records where we would make a random appearance here and there (probably the most notable would be "Bring Back the Sun" and "Boy"). Great songs by Mr. Coutts would be his driving bassline in "Monkey Brains" and especially towards the end of "Escape Artist."
Steve Mazur gets to finally shine for the first time in the studio. I believe he can shine brighter, but Burn Burn wasn't a bad place to start. Fans have noted his abilities during live shows, where he can give a song a completely different vibe or come up with a great improv. Unfortunately, an album full of ballads is not a place for Mazur to shine as bright as he can. He has what it takes to put more energy and excitement into a record, with "Monkey Brains," the "Paper Moon" solo, and the second half of "Escape Artist" to prove it. Steve tries to instill that into some of the ballads on this record with a quick line of distortion, but it comes off as a bit annoying after awhile, as I don't think it can really fool anyone into thinking that it's a "rocking" song. I'll applaud him for trying to liven it up, but I hope on the next album he can spread his wings even more instead of forcing himself to lift a song up. One area he might need to improve in is finding a proper way for him and Maida to click. On past records, Mike Turner's quirky guitar work complemented Raine's nasally falsetto in an excellent way. I'd like to see Mazur find a way to complement however Raine sings on the next record.
Frontman Raine Maida is kind of disappointing on this record. While the lyrics aren't a huge let down, his delivery of them and his vocals are. Maida has never before sounded this lifeless and uninspired. There are moments where it seems he attempts (with little effort) to bring himself out of it, but it just comes off as louder yet still uninspired. Maida also only utilizes his amazing ability of falsetto in one song on the record, that being in the chorus of "Paper Moon" (although he hints at it s few times in the verses of "Escape Artist"). I'm not asking for him to use it as frequently as he did on "Happiness... Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch" or "Spiritual Machines," but having it peppered in here and there would also improve the song. One thing I can say though is that I'll continue to find it a bit disappointing until he finally sings with emotion again. The album "Naveed" is a perfect example of this, as he still sang with all that he had in unique melodies, despite not relying on his falsetto. Back on the subject of lyrics though. Nothing is all that bad, but it is kind of irking when Maida can turn an unrelated subject into sounding like it's about love or a lover. "Escape Artist" is a fine example, as he said it's about getting back to basics and relieving yourself of all the extra bullshit around you, yet he uses his words in a way that makes it sound like it's about his wife. Maybe that's his attempt at being cryptic, but I'm not too sure. If Maida still wants to be somewhat straight-foward, I think it'd improve the quality of the songs if he wrote in his quirky, catchy way of writing like he does in "The Hunter's Lullaby." Lyrically he shines on "Monkey Brains," "Escape Artist," "Refuge," and "White Flags." Vocally he stands out on "Dreamland" (more specifically in the build-up to the chorus), "Monkey Brains," "Refuge," and the chorus of "Paper Moon."
Song Rundown
All You Did Was Save My Life
There isn't much to say about this track. Nothing really stands out too much, besides that it appears that Raine was attempting to write more metaphorically. What somewhat saves the song is Steve and Duncan yelling out the backing vocals in the background. Overall, the song is very overproduced and a blatant attempt at having a hit, despite having little to enjoy for quite a few people who really like to sink their teeth into the music.
Dreamland
If Our Lady Peace wanted to have a catchy, poppy lead single, it should have been more in the vein of this song. Steve does nice with soft guitar work on this song, and I think Raine really shines vocally on this, as you can actually here some emotion in the build-up to the chorus and the chorus as well. The song starts to overstay it's welcome once it hits a weak bridge, but it's nice to hear Steve's guitar work at the end as Raine repeats "I'm not coming down."
Monkey Brains*
This is more of what I was hoping for with Burn Burn. Duncan's bassline drives the song and only gets wilder in the chorus. Steve's talent is finally unleashed in the studio. Raine sounds great in the chorus and a bit paranoid in the verses, along with the lyrics being actually pretty good. Jeremy is still playing pretty basic, but his work on the hi-hats help the atmosphere of the song. The track eventually leads to the soft acoustic bridge, which is an overall good piece of music. I understand that the band was trying to do something unexpected here, but it doesn't even sound like it belongs, as it kind of sounds like two completely different songs just placed together. They could have gone about it in a better way, but both the song and the bridge are sure to impress old and new fans alike.
The End Is Where We Begin
The song starts nice with a bassline and Steve channeling U2's The Edge. The chorus is also kind of unexpected to start in the way it does, but the song kind of drops off after this. The lyrics in the second verse are okay and Jer is rocking his cymbals, but I find myself wanting the song to just end once it gets to a weak bridge and a predictable solo.
Escape Artist*
The song starts with Jeremy doing a simple-yet-effective drum beat, and is soon followed with Duncan with an awesome driving bassline, acoustic guitar, and an elevating piano. Maida stands out with lyrics, and his voice becomes better once it comes time for the chorus. The backing vocals also make an impact as they yell out to the listener "You're the ghost!" Steve also becomes a force in the chorus and just about the entire second half of the song. "Escape Artist" ends on a passionate note, as it reverts back to something similar to the beginning of the song.
Refuge*
This song is a excellent effort by all members of the band. Jeremy hasn't shined like he does on this track for awhile, finally utilizing the snare, bass drum, and toms. Duncan may not exactly be going wild on this track, but he definitely keeps the song going. Steve does awesome work in "Refuge," as he makes the guitar sound more like an organ, and goes onto a more uplifting sound in the chorus. Raine sings with so much more passion on this song than he does on any other track on this record, and his lyrics paint beautiful imagery. I wasn't sure about it when I first heard the sample on .net, but now I can definitely see why this is a band favorite.
Never Get Over You
This is another of a song that falls off after the second chorus, but not as bad as "Dreamland" does, and it actually becomes more likeable after a few listens. The lyrics in the first verse are pretty powerful (besides the cheesy "She likes hockey"), but the second verse falls prey to cliches. What really stands out is Steve's simple work on the dulcimer, giving the song a different feel. The band also gives the chorus a very anthemic feel.
White Flags
Coming off the live version, this song is a huge disappointment. The lyrics are actually really enjoyable for the most part, but the vocals and guitar work seem to fail. Raine's singing, the backing vocals, and the guitar work and production all seem to be trying too hard. This song is supposed to be simpler, but they tried too hard to make this song a bit too perfect, which really takes it down a few notches. The solo is good, but Raine's whole "fall with you" deal takes away some of the enjoyment.
Signs of Life
"Signs of Life" isn't as bad as most people make it out to be. It's actually kind of refreshing to see the band do an acoustic song. The lyrics are pretty enjoyable, and the backing vocals in the chorus really get me hooked. I feel like the solo could have had more life, but it's nice to see a minimal song like this every once in awhile.
Paper Moon*
This song is another stand-out. While it doesn't have the same replay-ability as OLP's earlier work, it's sure to be in your head for awhile after the first few listens. Steve does quite a few interesting things on this record, such as his very blues-y sound throughout a large portion, along with his minute long solo. There's no doubt that he pretty much owns this song. The sleighbells also make a good edition to the atmosphere. As for Raine, it's nice to finally hear some falsetto on this record. The lyrics are also pretty good, especially in the first verse and definitely in the chorus.
Despite what some OLP fans might say, this is not their best record... Not even close in my opinion. Whether it's the novelty of it or not that makes some feel this, I still feel it hasn't topped any of the earlier work. It's more ambitious than Gravity, and has a freedom that Healthy didn't, but I don't feel I can say where it stands among those three yet. While it's a good album for what it is, I hope they can branch outside of ballads the next time around and regain more of their own sound, instead of the U2 immitation/slight OLP sound Burn Burn gave us. While it may sound like I was mainly negative with my review of it, there is still some to love in it, which I have also pointed out. The boys may not be on their A-Game this time, but if you're a die-hard it should give you something to enjoy. Unfortunately, a lot of the record is rather forgetable, so that's going to my rating down a bit as well.
For my rating, I've decided on a 2.5/5. Whether I'm being generous since I'm a hardcore fan or not, I'm not really sure.
Random Name wrote:MindsOnLoan wrote: tl;dr
Question: Why is this written as a news article? Are you posting this somewhere as a cd review somewhere else? Just curious...
ivewaited wrote:MindsOnLoan wrote:So... Here's my little review for Burn Burn, for anyone who cares.
When the word about Our Lady Peace's latest studio effort, "Burn Burn," made it's way to the general public, things started off a bit shakey. With promises of a return to their roots and a proper rock record, fans heard the album's first single, "All You Did Was Save My Life." The panic among the die-hards was almost unanimous. For what many fans find as arguably their worst song, to have it as the first peak at the record was a bit heart-breaking to say the least. Some kept their hope, while others were losing it quickly. The opinions started to turn around though once the sample of "Monkey Brains" made it's way to ourladypeace.net, along with the full song release of "Paper Moon." Whether or not the optimistic and pessimistic outlooks were justified lies all in the opinion of those who hold it though.
The record turns out to be a bit bittersweet. We finally see the band making attempts at bringing back the creativity to their music, which is what fans have been waiting for since 2002, when "Gravity" brought the fall of their poppy-yet-strange music. Some songs succeed at this, while others fail. The bitter side to this record is the band has shed the skin of an alternative rock band, and has joined the ranks of power ballad bands such as Lifehouse. Don't get me wrong though, they are better than the average power ballad band as they can still kick out rock songs such as "Monkey Brains," but it seems as if the band has lost a bit of the passion and energy to do more of this.
There's nothing wrong with having a softer song (or even a ballad) here and there, but Burn Burn overdoes it. The album has two songs that wouldn't be considered ballads or power ballads throughout the majority of the song, those being "Monkey Brains" and "White Flags." When seeing the cover and hearing the title, one would be inclined to think that the band finally has that fire lit once again for a dark, heavy fist-clenching record. Sadly, you'd be mistaken. Instead your ears are met with somber vocals and lyrics of love lost. Once again, there's nothing wrong with it here and there, but Burn Burn doesn't seem to want to step out of it's own formula.
Predictability is yet another problem. After a few songs you can pretty much say, "Well this next one will be verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, probably a solo, and some more of the chorus. Oh yeah, and it'll start kind soft and build, but not build up to too much." There are a few exceptions to this formula, such as "White Flags" and "Monkey Brains" being heavier throughout (along with Monkey Brains' unexpected bridge; not it's position, just it's sound) and Paper Moon's lack of a bridge and unneeded extra choruses.
For the first time in the band's existance, I find that the bridges are weak. This causes a lot of songs to feel as if they've overstayed their welcome after the second chorus. Fine examples of this are "Dreamland," "Never Get Over You," and "The End Is Where We Begin."
Sadly, Jeremy Taggart is absent yet again for a good portion of this record. In a lot of these songs, you can just imagine him doing something a bit or more complex, if not unconventional. Instead he sticks with the most basic and uninspired drums beats for just about every song. He may play around with the hi-hats a bit, but his work on the toms and snare seem to be just about the same for every song during the verses. I only wish he would experiment a bit more. However, we do get to see him shine on the band favorite, "Refuge," and he does have a few good moments in the chorus of "Dreamland." I also like his simple yet effective drumming that opens up "Escape Artist," even if I wish he would have build on later in the song to make some more "odd" drum fills.
I'm proud to say Duncan Coutts is back as a force on this record. He makes noticable appearances on this record having nice grooves, and even when he's doing something more straight-forward and simple, he's at least noticable. It's a nice change from the past two records where we would make a random appearance here and there (probably the most notable would be "Bring Back the Sun" and "Boy"). Great songs by Mr. Coutts would be his driving bassline in "Monkey Brains" and especially towards the end of "Escape Artist."
Steve Mazur gets to finally shine for the first time in the studio. I believe he can shine brighter, but Burn Burn wasn't a bad place to start. Fans have noted his abilities during live shows, where he can give a song a completely different vibe or come up with a great improv. Unfortunately, an album full of ballads is not a place for Mazur to shine as bright as he can. He has what it takes to put more energy and excitement into a record, with "Monkey Brains," the "Paper Moon" solo, and the second half of "Escape Artist" to prove it. Steve tries to instill that into some of the ballads on this record with a quick line of distortion, but it comes off as a bit annoying after awhile, as I don't think it can really fool anyone into thinking that it's a "rocking" song. I'll applaud him for trying to liven it up, but I hope on the next album he can spread his wings even more instead of forcing himself to lift a song up. One area he might need to improve in is finding a proper way for him and Maida to click. On past records, Mike Turner's quirky guitar work complemented Raine's nasally falsetto in an excellent way. I'd like to see Mazur find a way to complement however Raine sings on the next record.
Frontman Raine Maida is kind of disappointing on this record. While the lyrics aren't a huge let down, his delivery of them and his vocals are. Maida has never before sounded this lifeless and uninspired. There are moments where it seems he attempts (with little effort) to bring himself out of it, but it just comes off as louder yet still uninspired. Maida also only utilizes his amazing ability of falsetto in one song on the record, that being in the chorus of "Paper Moon" (although he hints at it s few times in the verses of "Escape Artist"). I'm not asking for him to use it as frequently as he did on "Happiness... Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch" or "Spiritual Machines," but having it peppered in here and there would also improve the song. One thing I can say though is that I'll continue to find it a bit disappointing until he finally sings with emotion again. The album "Naveed" is a perfect example of this, as he still sang with all that he had in unique melodies, despite not relying on his falsetto. Back on the subject of lyrics though. Nothing is all that bad, but it is kind of irking when Maida can turn an unrelated subject into sounding like it's about love or a lover. "Escape Artist" is a fine example, as he said it's about getting back to basics and relieving yourself of all the extra bullshit around you, yet he uses his words in a way that makes it sound like it's about his wife. Maybe that's his attempt at being cryptic, but I'm not too sure. If Maida still wants to be somewhat straight-foward, I think it'd improve the quality of the songs if he wrote in his quirky, catchy way of writing like he does in "The Hunter's Lullaby." Lyrically he shines on "Monkey Brains," "Escape Artist," "Refuge," and "White Flags." Vocally he stands out on "Dreamland" (more specifically in the build-up to the chorus), "Monkey Brains," "Refuge," and the chorus of "Paper Moon."
Song Rundown
All You Did Was Save My Life
There isn't much to say about this track. Nothing really stands out too much, besides that it appears that Raine was attempting to write more metaphorically. What somewhat saves the song is Steve and Duncan yelling out the backing vocals in the background. Overall, the song is very overproduced and a blatant attempt at having a hit, despite having little to enjoy for quite a few people who really like to sink their teeth into the music.
Dreamland
If Our Lady Peace wanted to have a catchy, poppy lead single, it should have been more in the vein of this song. Steve does nice with soft guitar work on this song, and I think Raine really shines vocally on this, as you can actually here some emotion in the build-up to the chorus and the chorus as well. The song starts to overstay it's welcome once it hits a weak bridge, but it's nice to hear Steve's guitar work at the end as Raine repeats "I'm not coming down."
Monkey Brains*
This is more of what I was hoping for with Burn Burn. Duncan's bassline drives the song and only gets wilder in the chorus. Steve's talent is finally unleashed in the studio. Raine sounds great in the chorus and a bit paranoid in the verses, along with the lyrics being actually pretty good. Jeremy is still playing pretty basic, but his work on the hi-hats help the atmosphere of the song. The track eventually leads to the soft acoustic bridge, which is an overall good piece of music. I understand that the band was trying to do something unexpected here, but it doesn't even sound like it belongs, as it kind of sounds like two completely different songs just placed together. They could have gone about it in a better way, but both the song and the bridge are sure to impress old and new fans alike.
The End Is Where We Begin
The song starts nice with a bassline and Steve channeling U2's The Edge. The chorus is also kind of unexpected to start in the way it does, but the song kind of drops off after this. The lyrics in the second verse are okay and Jer is rocking his cymbals, but I find myself wanting the song to just end once it gets to a weak bridge and a predictable solo.
Escape Artist*
The song starts with Jeremy doing a simple-yet-effective drum beat, and is soon followed with Duncan with an awesome driving bassline, acoustic guitar, and an elevating piano. Maida stands out with lyrics, and his voice becomes better once it comes time for the chorus. The backing vocals also make an impact as they yell out to the listener "You're the ghost!" Steve also becomes a force in the chorus and just about the entire second half of the song. "Escape Artist" ends on a passionate note, as it reverts back to something similar to the beginning of the song.
Refuge*
This song is a excellent effort by all members of the band. Jeremy hasn't shined like he does on this track for awhile, finally utilizing the snare, bass drum, and toms. Duncan may not exactly be going wild on this track, but he definitely keeps the song going. Steve does awesome work in "Refuge," as he makes the guitar sound more like an organ, and goes onto a more uplifting sound in the chorus. Raine sings with so much more passion on this song than he does on any other track on this record, and his lyrics paint beautiful imagery. I wasn't sure about it when I first heard the sample on .net, but now I can definitely see why this is a band favorite.
Never Get Over You
This is another of a song that falls off after the second chorus, but not as bad as "Dreamland" does, and it actually becomes more likeable after a few listens. The lyrics in the first verse are pretty powerful (besides the cheesy "She likes hockey"), but the second verse falls prey to cliches. What really stands out is Steve's simple work on the dulcimer, giving the song a different feel. The band also gives the chorus a very anthemic feel.
White Flags
Coming off the live version, this song is a huge disappointment. The lyrics are actually really enjoyable for the most part, but the vocals and guitar work seem to fail. Raine's singing, the backing vocals, and the guitar work and production all seem to be trying too hard. This song is supposed to be simpler, but they tried too hard to make this song a bit too perfect, which really takes it down a few notches. The solo is good, but Raine's whole "fall with you" deal takes away some of the enjoyment.
Signs of Life
"Signs of Life" isn't as bad as most people make it out to be. It's actually kind of refreshing to see the band do an acoustic song. The lyrics are pretty enjoyable, and the backing vocals in the chorus really get me hooked. I feel like the solo could have had more life, but it's nice to see a minimal song like this every once in awhile.
Paper Moon*
This song is another stand-out. While it doesn't have the same replay-ability as OLP's earlier work, it's sure to be in your head for awhile after the first few listens. Steve does quite a few interesting things on this record, such as his very blues-y sound throughout a large portion, along with his minute long solo. There's no doubt that he pretty much owns this song. The sleighbells also make a good edition to the atmosphere. As for Raine, it's nice to finally hear some falsetto on this record. The lyrics are also pretty good, especially in the first verse and definitely in the chorus.
Despite what some OLP fans might say, this is not their best record... Not even close in my opinion. Whether it's the novelty of it or not that makes some feel this, I still feel it hasn't topped any of the earlier work. It's more ambitious than Gravity, and has a freedom that Healthy didn't, but I don't feel I can say where it stands among those three yet. While it's a good album for what it is, I hope they can branch outside of ballads the next time around and regain more of their own sound, instead of the U2 immitation/slight OLP sound Burn Burn gave us. While it may sound like I was mainly negative with my review of it, there is still some to love in it, which I have also pointed out. The boys may not be on their A-Game this time, but if you're a die-hard it should give you something to enjoy. Unfortunately, a lot of the record is rather forgetable, so that's going to my rating down a bit as well.
For my rating, I've decided on a 2.5/5. Whether I'm being generous since I'm a hardcore fan or not, I'm not really sure.
lol never get over you.. " she likes hockey" that killed me too.
i agree with this review though.
Trustworthy wrote:you sure you got burn burn by olp?
Strong Alibi wrote:C. Bad production on some songs
senseofurgency wrote:Strong Alibi wrote:C. Bad production on some songs
where?
i think the production is pretty friggin good to be honest. it isn't overproduced and it isn't underproduced.. i personally don't have any issue with the production.
and i don't know what you consider a ballad.. but the only ballad i really hear on this is never get over you. and theres no way jer was more noticeable on gravity than on burn burn, that comment baffles me.
the one thing i've noticed on this board is that 99% of these posts are picking at the negatives and hell bent on looking for the flaws.. how about commenting on something good about the album. and maybe *gasp* look for a positive!!
i know we are all entitled to opinions but i honestly feel like i have listened to a completely different record to some of you. ah well.
