January 23, 1997 - Clumsy

Happy New Year! A month and a half after my last release and almost three years since their debut "Naveed", Our Lady Peace released their second album "Clumsy" on January 23, 1997. Original bassist Chris Eacrett is replaced by Duncan Coutts but they play the same unique style of alternative rock as their rockin' debut. Let's see what the new OLP is all about!

The album kicks off with it's lead single "Superman's Dead" and while it definitely has a catchy main riff with some cool guitar, it's Raine Maida who carries this song with his one-of-a-kind vocals. He is just all over the place, hitting tons of nice high notes and just generally sounding great. Words can't properly describe his style but it's a no-brainer for a single and an undeniably solid jam that would become one of their most famous. Up next is another single titled "Automatic Flowers" and Maida leads the way once again with some pretty good vocals that are just so catchy! Jeremy Taggart plays some solid drums as usual and Mike Turner plays some decently heavy guitar, including a cool solo, which also has some cool bass by Coutts. This all combines for a pretty good song and another easy choice for a single. Track 3 was a less succesful single called "Carnival" and it's got a much slower pace to it. They do a good job of making it sound a bit like carnival music and Maida holds his notes in all the weirdest and coolest places in his unique style. The chorus is a bit louder and is another catchy one and the little break in the middle is cool as well. Maida does some quiet but pretty cool vocals at the end of the song as they slowly fade out. The next track is "Big Dumb Rocket" and everyone gets a chance to shine on this pretty rockin'song. There's some great bass, really cool drums, some pretty sweet guitar and of course Raine being Raine, doing things that are so weird but also somehow so catchy and fun to sing along to! I really like this one, great tune! Track 5 is another hugely succesful single, the slow song "4 AM". It's very light and pop-y, but Maida's vocals are really nicely sung and the verses sound pretty epic still. The chorus is a sappy sing along that's made-for-radio, but there is a nice heavier part as well and for a pop single, it's a solid one.  Up next is "Shaking" and it's got another loud and catchy main riff and Taggart's drums just sound perfect. Maida leads the way as usual with a unique verse and a nice loud chorus and there's even a little "do-do-do-do-do" pop-y middle part that sounds pretty good. Track 7 is another megahit, the title track "Clumsy", and it's driven by some catchy acoustic guitar as Maida leads the way with his unusual holds and accents that somehow make for a pop-y and catchy verse. The chorus is pretty light and fluffy and easy to sing along to, showing why this was such a succesful single. Taggart plays some pretty cool drums throughout as well and OLP show that a fluffy single can still be a pretty cool song. Raine holds lots of weird notes at the end of the song, but it's all part of the charm and it sounds pretty good. The next track is "Hello Oskar" and it's got a fast and interesting main riff that sounds pretty cool with nice contributions from everyone. The break in the middle of the song is a little anticlimactic, but the rest sounds pretty good. Track 9 is "Let You Down" and it's got some more cool guitar and drums that create another unique and pretty cool riff. Maida sings a nice quieter riff that moves nicely into another loud and catchy chorus. I love this unique style of alternative rock and OLP are great at coming up with these unusual but quite catchy riffs. This song is just another solid tune and there are no weak points on this album! Up next is "The Story Of 100 Aisles" and Turner plays some cool lead guitar in this one as the verse ramps up into a heavy chorus. It's another solid headbanger and the softer parts sound cool and space-y, and they make the heavier parts hit even harder. The final song on the album is "Car Crash" and Coutts plays a great low bass riff to drive things while Maida takes center stage with more unique singing. The verse is quiet but it sounds really good and when the guitar kicks in for the chorus that sounds pretty good too. Everyone plays some great stuff in this pretty cool album closer and Maida typically ends things with some super high wails that are just a perfect way to finish things off.

That is the end of "Clumsy" and I thought it was a pretty good album! The bar is set very high, as even the worst song on this album is still a good song. It's definitely more pop-y than their debut, but even the slower, obvious singles were still good songs! "Naveed" was a great album as well, and I think it's really, really close between these two albums, but I'm giving the nod to this latest album as my favourite; it's just such a complete album that never really puts you down, it carries you on a high for the whole 45 minutes. They couldn't possibly outdo themselves again, could they?