Healthy in Paranoid Times Review
August
By:  Denise Sheppard
Amazon

While Our Lady Peace's lead singer, Raine Maida, can be accused of writing rather cryptic lyrics, the liner notes of the new OLP CD are anything but subtle. The artwork kicks off with the statement "1165 days were needed to record Healthy In Paranoid Times"; the remaining pages show no lyrics or band shots, just statistics varying from how many people died of AIDS in that span of time (9.8 million) to how much money was spent on the arms trade ($3 trillion). Time spent by Raine and wife Chantal Kreviazuk overseas with the War Child charity have deeply affected the singer and it shows. On Healthy, the band's music is orchestral right from the get-go. "Angels/Losing/Sleep" jumps from quiet, fragile moments to emo-implosions, not only showcasing Raine's unique vocals, but also how undercurrents of combative guitar solos can turn a simple melody into something wonderfully unsettling, a true OLP trait. The group's frenetic first single, "Where Are You" is singer Maida's plea to a society enshrouded in indulgence, while "Boy" has the raw passion of early U2, with the song rising to a joyful, moving climax. One of the disc's strongest tracks is "Don't Stop." While not mimicking Radiohead or Coldplay, the group seems to embrace the like-minded love of turning a four-minute melody into something more orchestral and emotional, a thread consistent throughout this well-crafted disc.