June 18, 2002 - Gravity

A week after my last release and a year and a half since "Spiritual Machines", Our Lady Peace released their fifth album "Gravity" on June 18, 2002. Big changes are coming to OLP and I don't think I'm going to like them! Apparently due to tensions that had been present for years, lead guitarist Mike Turner was kicked out of the band. I love Turner's style of playing and he is a big part of what makes OLP so great so he will be greatly missed. He does still feature on rhythm guitar on half of this album's songs though. He is replaced by new guitarist Steve Mazur and with this change also comes a big shift in style towards a much simpler, stripped down version of OLP. In another big change it's their first album without producer Arnold Lanni as they instead chose to work with acclaimed producer Bob Rock. They recorded largely live off the floor without all the layering and backing vocals that they usually use (very well). That's a lot of change! Let's check out the new OLP!

The album kicks off with "All For You" and after a quiet piano intro that slam into a heavy chorus riff that sounds pretty solid. Mazur plays some slow but decent guitar in the verse while Raine Maida sounds pretty great as usual. He doesn't really do the super high falsetto anymore, which is quite disappointing, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't sound very smooth and powerful. There's a decent instrumental break that starts nice and loud, then quiets right down before they finish things off with a final loud chorus. It was a solid opener, but definitely a different vibe than we're used to. Up next is "Do You Like It?" and Mazur leads the way with a catchy guitar riff that everyone else calmly builds around and Maida does a bit of his trademark vocal fluctuations (but still no high falsetto) to give things a bit of a throwback. The chorus is louder and pretty damn catchy despite things clearly being toned/stripped down. It's simple, but really catchy and radio-friendly and it's hard not to headbang along. Jeremy Taggart's drums are solid as usual throughout and I'm surprised this wasn't released as a single, I think most people would dig it! Track 3 is one of the album's two massively succesful singles "Somewhere Out There" and it's not hard to see why with a slow, smooth and light guitar riff overtop some dreamy keyboards by Jamie Edwards and Maida singing a very smooth, pop-y and love-y dove-y verse overtop. The chorus has some louder guitars and vocals, but it's still very made-for-radio and a perfect sappy single. They do absolutely nail it, don't get me wrong, for a single it's everything you could ask for, but it's definitely not my ideal OLP song. A string section adds to the epicness at times and they end it on a solid note. The next song is "Innocent" and it might even be more popular than the last song! Taggart plays a catchy drum beat, Mazur adds some more light, catchy guitars and Maida leads the way with a pretty solid verse that has a couple hints of the old falsetto and even that hint can send a chill down your spine. The chorus is really simple and repetitive, but that's what makes it such a catchy single and it's one that gets everyone singing along right away. The second verse is louder and even better and after another catchy chorus Mazur plays some nice high guitar while Maida let's loose a little bit with some great up-and-down vocals. This is an even more perfect single than the last song and I like it way more because it's not sappy, but still super catchy. Track 5 is "Made Of Steel" and they quickly jump into the loud and catchy chorus riff before Maida comes in and leads another super catchy verse with his fantastic singing. He holds some long notes in the loud and catchy chorus and he sounds great almost whispering the name of the song before shouting "but your secret's safe with me", then they do it all again. They do a great quiet-to-loud part where they shift seamlessly back and forth and things sound pretty epic and good to me! Another perfectly nailed tune that easily could've been another single. Up next is "Not Enough" and it starts pretty quiet and slow with Maida singing a nice soft verse to match the mood. The guitars get much heavier in the chorus, but things are still smooth and simple. Things sound good, but it continues this new direction toward more accessible riffs and it's just not like the old OLP at all. After the next round they break things down into a heavy and cool new riff that leads nicely into a guitar solo! The solo is pretty basic, but it is a solo of some kind at least and this middle part was easily the best part of the song. Track 7 is "Sell My Soul" and Mazur leads the way with an interesting guitar riff overtop another slow and quiet background. Maida sings a slow and smooth verse that fits the mood nicely and the chorus continues to be very light and made-for-radio. Once again, things aren't bad by any means, but this simple and fluffy style is a far cry from the awesomeness of even their last album, let alone the first two. Maida sounds solid and the verse is decent, but the drawn out and pop-y chorus is nothing too special. The next track is "Sorry" and Maida dives right into a fast and catchy first verse sung overtop a catchy drum beat by Taggart and a cool guitar riff by Mazur. The chorus is nice and hard rock with some hard hitting guitars and some solid singing by Maida and this is definitely more up my alley than the previous song. After another go through there's a really cool new part with Maida doing some catchy "oh my day, oh my god" and it's not surprising that this track that is most like their old stuff is easily one of the best on the album! Rock solid the whole way through! Track 9 is the longest on the album, "Bring Back The Sun", and it's a very slow song, but a quietly epic one. Taggart plays a catchy slow drum beat, Mazur and Turner add some light guitars and Edwards plays some nice light piano as well that adds to this very light but solid vibe. After a super pop-y chorus a strings section joins in for the next go round, making things sound even more epic. It's a little repetitive, but Maida's high vocals sound good throughout and Mazur adds some cool guitar towards the end to spice things up a bit. The final song on the album is "A Story About A Girl" and Mazur plays a nice light lead guitar riff, then Coutts and Turner both come in with a bouncing rhythm riff that is very different, but somehow the two combine for a pretty cool riff. Maida sings an epic verse to match the bouncing riff and they shift nicely into a loud chorus with Maida belting out and sounding good, but the guitars in the chorus are very basic compared to the intricate cool stuff in the verse. This pretty much sums up this song, it was good, but not great, and that kinda sums up the whole album as well.

That is the end of "Gravity" and I thought it was a good album, but a definite shift from the Our Lady Peace we used to know. It's easy to see why this was a massively succesful album as their turn towards simpler and more accessible riffs reached a lot more fans, but there's almost none of the quirkiness and weirdness and awesomeness that OLP was all about! I think it's easily their worst album yet, and while it's still a good one, I fear the best may be behind us...