New Album in 2012 - "Curve" April 3rd

[Tinman]

On a train heading to chicago for the show, listening to the cd version for the first time now. whole lot more going on in these songs than I thought (and I thought there was a lot to begin with). Love the little riff stirring fithh chorus.

[todddowney]

Enjoy

[todddowney]

OLP Overproduced
April 7, 2012
I didn’t have specific expectations for Our Lady Peace’s new album Curve, but had high hopes based on the first single, “Heavyweight”. I loved the track because it combined some of the band’s best sounds…the rawness of pre-Spiritual Machines, the upbeat rock of post-Spiritual Machines, the creativity of Raine’s solo stuff.

My reaction to my first listen of the album was underwhelming. I thought this was because it was overproduced…lots of backing tracks, strings. But the other morning after a second listen, I turned to Raine Maida’s solo The Hunter’s Lullaby, and realized that album has all those things, too. Curve, aside from a couple highlights like “Heavyweight” and “If This is It” just feels sluggish (maybe the album’s boxing theme fits, just not in the way the band thinks it does). Albums do need to have some sort of unifying sound, which this album does…but they also need to have some variety, and after a few tracks, the songs on Curve just sound indistinguishable.

Maybe it will improve on me with time. Right now, it feels like this is the band “being artists” as opposed to just making some rock music. No thanks. We’ve already got Spiritual Machines and aside from 1 or 2 tracks, that’s unlistenable.

OUR LADY PEACE
Curve (Coalition/Warner)
MORE like curveball. On their new album, Curve, the Toronto rock veterans challenge themselves and their fans by experimenting with arrangements and instrumentation.
There are still at least two obvious hits here, the hook-filled Heavyweight and hand-clap happy As Fast as You Can, but the majority of Curve finds the band following its own muse, radio singles be damned. There are spacey keyboards and double-tracked vocals on Allowance; a guitar solo that marks the climax of the ballad Find Our Way (sure to mess up your slow dance); Richard Wright-evoking keys help fuel the moody Rabbits; and Mettle includes spoken word samples that balance frontman Raine Maida's restrained sing-speak vocals.
Not everything works -- the annoying repetition of Fire in the Henhouse, for example -- and sometimes atmosphere takes over for melody, but it's nice to see Our Lady Peace not simply following the path of least resistance. Three stars
-- Rob Williams

Wolf..

[DG]

Spiritual Machines unlistenable? What. The. Fuck.

[Tinman]

Every one is entitled to their own opinion, even the retards

[ivewaited]

Everyone still super hyped over the album or has the excitement wore off a bit after having it for awhile now?



Thoughts?

[Codes]

Like I have said, this CD is like Chinese Democracy. You either love the direction and everything that encompasses the music, or hate it because it is completely different.

[Tattooed Angels]

Did anyone see the tweet to Steve about them spelling YOU'RE instead of Your in the lyrics( ( If This Is It in lyric book I believe) can not think of song off top of my head just now. I caught that also but did not think anything of it. I knew what they meant. Steve wrote back." I usually catch those things."

Now that I listened some more and saw the songs done live.

My overall view is an 8 out of 10 stars. I think the band worked hard on this cd and it shows. I think they did a great job and I am proud of them. I find it very melodic.. Yes very different they anything they put out in past. DO you honestly want the band to remain the same band they were 5,10, 15 and even 20 years ago.I sure as hell don't

It is great to finally Steve come into his own with his playing. It does have a harder sound yet very soft at same time. I love the more acoustic sounding songs on this cd.. If This Is It has become an early fave, along with Rabbit, and As Fast As You Can

I think AFAYC is more pop sounding but works. Upbeat song and I see it becoming almost like 4 AM where audience sings most if not all of it.. Definitely the clap thing going..

Lyrically I think Raine outdid himself.. Great job. Have more in depth meaning. I did not listen to any of the clips while they recorded this cd. Was on a vacation from OLP ( sort of) I just needed to take a break so I can come back refreshed for this
cd..

for most part I have read nothing but positive things on the cd.

[SpiritualJunkie]

They played "Fire in the Henhouse" on Sonic Radio''s Farm Fresh last night here in Edmonton. Sounds amazing. I'm really hoping they turn that song into a single. There were all these different sounds that you can't hear on the mp3 versions.

I also love Curve because musically, it is a very strong album. You can tell that the band worked hard to develop different sounds and feelings. Someone who is hoping for Naveed or Clumsy part 2 and is not open to other musical styles will surely be disappointed but if you have an open mind, I would say that Curve is just about up there with Spiritual Machines.

[Tattooed Angels]

I also love Curve because musically, it is a very strong album. You can tell that the band worked hard to develop different sounds and feelings. Someone who is hoping for Naveed or Clumsy part 2 and is not open to other musical styles will surely be disappointed but if you have an open mind, I would say that Curve is just about up there with Spiritual Machines.

agreed on the SM part. That IMHO was always their best cd. I think CUrve is a strong contender. I need a year or so to make an accurate statement. YOu could love something now but a while down the road not as much..

I also think though their first cd Naveed was an awesome cd. So raw. I would love to see some of that rawness again.

[todddowney]

http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/04/a ... ace-curve/

TWO STARS OUT OF FIVE

I want to love Curve. Our Lady Peace played a key role during this critic’s (and probably many readers’) formative years, including the time I gave my first valentine a bouquet of chocolate flowers with 90′s hit “Clumsy” soundtracking the sweaty-palmed affair. Unfortunately, some bands cannot transcend an era; Our Lady Peace retain much of their once popular sound on Curve but try to update it with studio wizardry, soaring U2 choruses, and soulless metal riffs akin to Creed. Yes, this would surely melt those chocolate flowers into a disappointing puddle.

The Canadian stalwarts keep on keeping on, much to their credit, largely sticking to the sound that gave them their time atop the alt-rock radio charts in 1997. Most notably, lead vocalist Raine Maida’s prowess remains intact, sounding like Robert Plant after smoking a carton of Lucky Strikes and several Quaaludes.

Curve, the band’s eighth studio album, kicks off with a Jimi Hendrix national anthem-like riff, followed by a rollicking drumbeat. The classic rock momentum promptly halts as Our Lady Peace lead into the frantic, bass-driven “Fire in the Henhouse”. The track and Maida’s vocals channel Hail to the Thief-era Radiohead (see also: “Window Seat”) to mediocre effect. There isn’t anything embarrassing on Curve, yet Our Lady Peace find themselves constantly swimming in someone else’s pool. Even at their best, “Clumsy” was just Oasis’s “Wonderwall” with a harder rock edge. On Curve, their influences seem ancient.

The lone highlight, the handclap-driven “As Fast as You Can”, shows the band harnessing their power pop prowess, with Maida hitting a Bono scream on the chorus. It’s unoriginal, sure, but it represents the best that that the current Our Lady Peace have to offer.

Curve finds the band rehashing other artists’ creative moments in the sun but never making anything their own. Our Lady Peace may have the best intentions, but good intentions alone do not an album make.

Essential Tracks: “As Fast as You Can”

[RileyLewis]

So apparently Allowance is a Jimi Hendrix-inspired national anthem song, which also sounds like classic rock? And he says Raine is the strongest part of the album?

Something's not right with that guy.

[Furious George]

^ I'm alright with some people not liking the album, but statements like "Even at their best, “Clumsy” was just Oasis’s “Wonderwall” with a harder rock edge." just boggle the mind.

[todddowney]

^ I'm alright with some people not liking the album, but statements like "Even at their best, “Clumsy” was just Oasis’s “Wonderwall” with a harder rock edge." just boggle the mind.

Yeah, that comment was, interesting.

[DudeLove721]

The more I read album reviews for Curve, the more I'm convinced that "music critic" must be the easiest field in the world to get a job in. Judging by the absolutely ridiculous statements made in some of the reviews here (I'm not talking about negative opinions, I'm talking about things that just don't make any sense) you don't need any critical thinking, logic or listening comprehension whatsoever to get a job as a music critic. You just have to write something that's so stupid that it'll piss fans off and voila, your job is done!

[Codes]

Notice how every bad review some how tries to make some kind of connection with clumsy. Critics these days must be musically retarded. If every other cd is just comparable to another popular band, how the fuck do you differentiate yourself now a days from anyone? Poor excuse for reviews

[todddowney]

[Furious George]

Honestly though guys, i remember reading reviews where music critics were panning Happiness back in the day. After that, I never took music critics seriously.

Since music is so personal and subjective, the only reviews I found of value are of people that are into that kind of music in the first place or who are very familiar with the band they are reviewing. Imagine a stict metalhead reviewing a Dr. Dre album... there is no context from which to draw a valuable opinion.

That's why for me: iTunes/Amazon reviews >>>> most music critics.

[PeaceEleven]

All these critics don't know much for sure.
Reading these made me laugh pretty often and gave me an idea.
Why don't we write a collective critic for Curve ? I think it would be a very good idea since all of us know a lot about the band and I am sure we can write deeper stuff then most of what has been written.

[Tinman]

All these critics don't know much for sure.
Reading these made me laugh pretty often and gave me an idea.
Why don't we write a collective critic for Curve ? I think it would be a very good idea since all of us know a lot about the band and I am sure we can write deeper stuff then most of what has been written.

I think that the problem you're run into there is that even on these forums, where most people are educated about the band, we all still come to different conclusions.

I'll probably write one for amazon once they open it up later this month. By then the album will have mostly sunk in.