Release Date: March 23
Length: 50:09
Genre: Alternative Rock
As you may know, I have certain affections for pop bands of the 1990s. I honestly love them, because it's what I grew up on. Yeah, some (read: most) of it was bubblegum pop, but I still click with it. I have noticed an interesting trend among pop groups in the 1990's. After they all faded in about 2002, they became less and less pop oriented, and actually become quite respectable musicians. This is particularly notable for Counting Crows, who actually had more and more meaningful music as time went on.
However, this review is about the Barenaked Ladies. Formed in 1988, they have been known as a family friendly alternative rock band, and honestly, it's hard to decide how much more matured they have become, especially since frontman Steven Page left the band in February last year. In the mid 2000's the band took a bit of an indie rock turn, which was probably one of the stupidest decisions they could have made, as Are Me and Are Men, the end results of this change, were both terribly mediocre at best.
Since the 2008 kids album Snacktime! was released, I wasn't sure what to think about how this new album would turn out. If I had to say where I was with this in early 2010, I would probably have to say that my hopes were high, but my expectations were actually pretty low. In an odd turn of events, the album turned out much differently then I expected. Yes, 'BNL' still has a couple songs that make absolutely no sense, but it was surprising how much silliness had left the band with Page. The band is starting to write with meaning and compassion. However, this does take a toll on a few songs such as Jerome and Watching the Northern Lights, which almost try too hard at being deep. Another big change in the album which helps give it a different feel than past albums is that the lead singing is much less in the hands of Ed Robertson than you would probably expect, as three songs go to bassist Jim Creegan and five go to pianist Kevin Hearn. Personally, I like how this affects the album, because it brings quite a bit of variety to the pop/alt style (Hearn likes to play a quieter, more ballady type of song, while Creegan plays a very conservative form of rock). This directly hurts the albums flow, as I've had a tough time trying to decide why the album would be trying to take some of the turns it did (especially going from a 90s style rock song right into a quiet melody, which was a bit weird to say the least).
I was very impressed towards the tracks themselves. Favorites of mine include Hearn's Another Heartbreak(Which, albeit not having too much meaning, is incredibly catchy), Every Subway Car (A Robertson song which actually does a bit of wordplay, and alternates tempos quite often), Golden Boy (A song which sounds like it came straight out of BNLs mid-90s sessions), and You Run Away (A neat quieter song from BNL). The other songs are solid, but pretty mixed. Four Seconds is one of the odder songs that tries to mix electronic and string instruments to create a pretty cool song. Apart from this, the other songs can be divided into two categories, OK (ex. On the Lookout, Summertime), and mediocre (ex. The Love We're In, Ordinary)
Something that I immediately found odd was that the band decided to make You Run Away the lead single of this album. It is certainly not the best song by a long shot, and it actually isn't as notable as it should be. What I later realized, however, was how much this title song actually represented this entire album. It has familliar sounds with a bunch of new concepts, and these concepts make this album feel pretty fresh, even if a few of the concepts have questionable need towards delving into.
Grade: B-
Notable Tracks: You Run Away, Golden Boy, Every Subway Car, Another Heartbreak, Four Seconds
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