September 21, 1999 - Happiness... Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch

Two weeks after my last release and two and a half years since "Clumsy", Our Lady Peace released their third album "Happiness... Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch" on September 21, 1999. OLP continue to play their unique style of alternative rock but after the success of "Clumsy" this album is a little lighter overall and not quite as hard rock as say their debut "Naveed". Let's check out the latest from OLP!

The album kicks off with it's big hit single "One Man Army" and Raine Maida leads a nice verse in his one of a kind voice. Mike Turner plays some solid guitar as they move into the chorus and Maida does his usual thing with some nice high falsetto notes in this pretty catchy chorus. Jeremy Taggart plays some solid drums as usual and Duncan Coutts' bass is good as well as they jam out another round. Turner delivers a short but nice and epic guitar solo and then they jam out a nice final chorus to wrap up this pretty solid lead single. Up next is "Happiness & The Fish" and it's a slower pace, but things sound pretty space-y and epic and Maida not only sounds great singing the verse but I like a lot of his lyrics on this one, including "talking is just masturbating without the mess". Taggart plays in the chorus with a nice drum fill and Maida hits some classic falsetto notes while singing this solid chorus. The instrumental break in the middle is alright but not too flashy, but thankfully the verse and chorus are good enough to carry things and Coutts plays some cool bass in the final verse. Track 3 is "Potato Girl" and Taggart starts us off with a nice drum beat before Maida comes in to sing an epic verse and also add some epic piano. The verse builds until it reaches the chorus and things sound pretty solid with Maida leading the way with some typically good vocals. Words can't properly describe all the little ups and downs that he does so seamlessly and while there's some solid guitar, bass and drums, it really is the vocals that carry things in another pretty solid song. The next track is "Blister" and Maida is the whole verse as he plays acoustic guitar and sings nicely overtop. The rest of the band joins in for a light but catchy chorus and I love all of Maida's falsetto bits, he's such a good and unique singer. This song is a great example of OLP's new lighter style, but it's still good in it's own way even if it's not a headbanger. Track 5 was another single titled "Is Anybody Home?" and they start off with a light acoustic bit before snalling nicely into a loud and distorted riff that is hard to describe, but it sounds pretty cool. Maida sings another nice acoustic verse and he goes really high in the chorus that is quiet aside from Maida and it makes things sound really good. Turner plays a cool guitar solo after the second chorus and this whole song is executed really well and just sounds great the whole way through! Up next is "Waited" and Turner plays a light but pretty good guitar riff, Taggart adds a catchy drum beat and Maida sings nicely overtop in this light but really catchy verse. The chorus is pretty catchy as well, of course with some nice high falsetto's. They don't stray far from the verse and chorus but it certainly never gets stale and I thought it was another lighter, but still pretty good song. Track 7 is "Thief" and Turner plays a light guitar riff, Taggart plays a soft drum beat and Maida sings nicely overtop in another slow but solid verse. Things get a little louder in the chorus, but it's still a light rock feel with Maida sounding good as usual. They don't stray too far from the main drag, but I still like it even though it's a little repetitive, Raine is just that good a singer. The next track is "Lying Awake" and it comes thundering in with a nice guitar riff and Maida sings a great falsetto verse overtop the epic backdrop. The guitar sounds crazy going into the chorus as well and it's a pretty rockin' chorus with some cool guitar, drums and vocals. Turner plays a not quite solo, but some epic stuff that fits the mood nicely before they finish things off with a solid final chorus. This one was very unique and very OLP, nicely done! Track 9 is another single named "Annie" and Turner plays some cool guitar while Maida opens with some nice up-and-down oohing before settling into a great verse as he sounds great singing fast and slow, high and low, and all over the place. The verse leads right into the catchy chorus and Maida hits some pretty high notes while leading the way. After another pretty good verse and chorus Maida sings a catchy "oh-whoa-oh" part that sets the stage for a short but cool little guitar solo by Turner. It leads perfectly back into the chorus and they jam it out to wrap up this pretty solid single. Up next is "Consequence Of Laughing" and Maida does some interesting ohhing with his unique voice while the rest of the band establish a pretty solid riff with some nice bass by Coutts. Turner echoes him on guitar to make things louder and this continues in a nice hard rock chorus with Maida of course sounding great singing overtop. After the next round Maida does a great little "no, nooo" part, Turner follows with some cool guitar and then it's nicely back into the chorus. They close it nicely as well and I thought this was another pretty cool tune. The final song on the album is "Stealing Babies" and it's featuring Elvin Jones on drums. Turner plays a catchy lead guitar riff, the rhythm section falls in nicely behind, especially Jones's drums, and Maida leads a pretty good verse. Things get quiet and Maida sings overtop some light piano in an epic bit, then the guitar returns and we do it all again. After the next round the mood shifts to a new riff with Maida singing softly but also playing some nice piano while Jones plays some solid drums in the background. It's way different than the rest of the song, but it's good in it's own way and the piano drums are both pretty good, and Turner adds some trippy guitar as well.

That is the end of "Happiness... Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch" and I thought it was another very solid album by Our Lady Peace. It was overall much lighter, but it was still a high bar of songs and all of them were pretty good. Raine Maida continues to show what a unique and talented singer he is and the rest of the band still plays some solid alternative rock. I don't think it's as good as "Naveed" so last place will have to do for now, but this is not a knock on this album, it's still quite a good album! I look forward to more OLP in not too long!