Semaphore, “Make” (Laughing Shadow Productions)
If the adage holds true that you should never judge a book by its cover, then it parallels that you should never judge music before you listen to it.
Popularity often lends itself falsely as a judgment of the quality of music. Though many, I dare to say most, of us have never heard of this band, its offerings are entirely worth noting.
The second album to come from the eclectic European fivesome Semaphore, “Make” takes a completely different turn from the band’s first, self-titled EP. The band’s first EP is described on the band’s Web site as a “powerful psychedelic acoustic sound supported by enchanting lyrics,” and Semaphore’s sophomore attempt captures this statement perfectly, except for the last part.
“Make’s” 12 tracks are entirely instrumental, but still present is what can best be described as psychedelic. The entrancing mixes represent a sort of dark, underground London techno that is strangely relaxing and energizing at the same time. Think of it as a Prodigy backbeat meets industrial rock meets Sound Tribe Sector 9 — with the sound of falling water in the background. It’s dark, it’s groovy and it’s breathtaking.
Play it against the visual mode on Windows Media Player, and you won’t blink for 46 minutes and 55 seconds.
Grade: A-
Our Lady Peace, “Healthy in Paranoid Times” (Columbia)
Let loose on Aug. 30, this is the sixth major release from the Canadian ensemble.
OLP underwent a great change in style with its previous EP, “Gravity,” turning away from its rock-laden albums of old and turning toward more radio-friendly alt-pop.
“Healthy” represents the band’s attempt to make up for this misstep.
Before even listening to the tracks, the listener has some idea of what the album is about. The title itself, combined with the images inside the EP’s jacket give away explicitly that “Healthy” is politically motivated.
Beyond the opening statement that the album took 1,165 days to record, and 43 tracks were laid down, the inside cover touches on other stats and events that occurred during the recording. For example, it points out that Iraq was invaded twice and that even though $3 trillion was spent on the global arms trade, only $9 million was needed to supply all of the third world with clean drinking water.
The first single, “Where Are You,” shouldn’t have been the initial impression met with by listeners. Though of worthy merit for its societal implications, the song quickly lapses into more radio-friendly pop (including a chanting choir) reminiscent of the band’s very we-are-the-world-ish track — “Innocent” off of the “Gravity” album.
“Where Are You,” however, isn’t representative of “Healthy” as a whole, and thank goodness for that.
Several of the songs center around the recurrent motifs of war and peace, especially “Wipe That Smile off Your Face” and “Angels/Losing/Sleep,” but the predominant theme of the album is the illness of the world as a whole, as is evident from a host of lyric selections across the entire range of tracks.
“Will the Future Blame Us” and “Love and Trust” offer the most distinct examples of disgust with society. From the former, the lines “Is it getting better/ And can we live forever?/ I’m not sure what the hell we’re fighting for,” best exemplify the feeling of futility caused by the terror and uncertainty running rampant in the world today.
The latter flat out states that “The 21st century is a mess./ You can try and fix it/ But it breaks.”
Regardless of its shortcomings and occasionally overbearing resemblance to the globally conscious pop of U2, “Healthy in Paranoid Times” is worth a listen. There is a valuable message in the lyrics, whether or not you find the sound appealing.
Though it doesn’t refer back to the heavy hooks and powerful rhythms that die-hard fans associate with the real OLP, with 31 recorded tracks still unreleased, “Healthy” gives us something to look forward to in “The Wonderful Future.”
Grade: B-
