Customer Reviews

Happiness... Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch

5 star:		(136)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

if you are a huge OLP fan... this is definitely their strongest CD. however, if you are simply a "gravity" person (their most recent cd) i wouldn't suggest this CD. a warning to those who aren't familiar with our lady peace: it's a very different and unique type of music... raine maida's vocals are exploring different octaves, keys, and ranges and you can't really classify the music into emo or rock or soul or punk or anything... our lady peace is its own genre. if you like "somewhere out there", their newest single, but dont' know any other songs then i would suggest getting "gravity". i feel that "gravity" was made to satisfy those radio-listeners, who are hungry for that pop-rock with the our lady peace twist... but if you want true olp sound, this is the album to purchase. my favorite tracks are (in order as they come): 3. potato girl, 5. is anybody home?, and 7. thief (which has something i can't put my finger on, but some quality that makes it one of my favorite songs of all time). The best our lady peace songs, in my opinion: "Life" (from spiritual machines), "Innocent" (from gravity), and "Thief" (from happiness). Obviously if i could pick more i would, here are some others that rotate through the #2 spot: "4 AM", "clumsy", "superman's dead", "right behind you", "are you sad?", "potato girl", "is anybody home", "not enough", and "lying awake". to conclude this: "happiness" is my favorite our lady peace album, but if you are hooked on their recent radio singles, grab their newest album (gravity) instead.

This record reminds of the pure passion and creativy that was the mainstreem generic but great rock band olp. What have they come to know? Gravity! I want to cry.

This is by far the best album released by OLP. All tracks (except Potato Girl and Consequence of Laughing) are excellent. Too bad Lying Awake never became a single. Forget about Spiritual Machines and Gravity, Happiness is an underrated, overlooked classic.

The first time I listened to this CD, it didn't seem so great. But after a while, I realized that the reason this CD is so impressive is because of the lyrics. The lyrics are very deep and honest. Especially in "Happiness & the Fish". This CD is proof that OLP has grown a lot since "Clumsy".

this is one of the best cds ever made. the guy who said this is commercial crap is simply retarded. gravity is commercial crap and olp will never be the same after it. happiness and spiritual machines are two of the most incredible albums ever made. arnold lanni certainly had a big hand in the process, i'd go as far to say he was an unofficial member of the band by this point. but what he did as producer and what the band did lyrically and musically was just incredible on this album. excellent from top to bottom. an auditory experience.

Looking back five years later, the last year of the second millennia was one that produced a whole lot of decent rock music, but not necessarily a whole lot that was of exceptional quality. This record, however, is one of the select few that I would rank as classic material. After enjoying commercial success in the United States with CLUMSY in 1998 due to the widespread airplay of "Superman's Dead" and "Clumsy," fans held their breath as they waited to see whether Our Lady Peace would choose the easy route by selling out to the MTV crowd or expand upon their previous endeavors to produce something even more spectacular. As it turns out, they managed to pull off both without offending either group, something that we rarely see these days (unfortunately all good things must come to an end, which OLP finally did in late 2002 with the bland and commercialized GRAVITY).

Just about every aspect of this work is a few notches above what was found on CLUMSY: the lyrics, the riffs, the production, the vocals; and yet it manages to keep the unique properties that enhanced that album (such as Raine's nasal and high-pitched voice and the "kazoo" effect in several songs). In short, for being the band's third LP, there is scarcely anything to complain about.

The single "One Man Army" kicks the record off with a bang, introducing the listener to the musical theme and feel of the album while indulging in delightfully odd vocal effects and presenting very strong lyrics; track two, the title track, is much of the same. "Potato Girl" and "Blister" take a different direction by deviating even more from the CLUMSY sound; they are best described as dreamy and spacey, and are certainly more tame/subtle than OLP's singles. "Is Anybody Home?" is the second single, my favorite song on the album, and quite possibly the band's best track to date. What more can be said; the lyrics and music are both stellar. "Waited" and "Thief" are commendable and enjoyable, albeit a little too similar to one another in melody to rave over as much as the first six tracks. "Lying Awake" is a close second for best track on the album, again with great lyrics and an awesome, soaring chorus. "Annie" and "Consequence of Laughing" are the clear weak points on the album, and while not unlistenable, do leave one unfulfilled as they fall far short of the standard set by the other songs. "Stealing Babies" makes a nice rebound: its sound is unusual and takes a few listens to adjust to, but after a while it is revealed to be one of the most moving and well-written songs the band has given us.

It is my view that those who are just getting into OLP should begin with this album, then move on to CLUMSY and SPIRITUAL MACHINES, both of which are great but just not quite as instantly fulfilling as this alt-rock borderline masterpiece. Come to think of it, the triology of work the band released between 1997 and 2001 was dripping with so much talent that I sometimes wonder if it isn't enough to forgive them for GRAVITY.

I do have to say that I love the title of this CD and the cover art. While that is great the music is better. Love the first track 'One Man Army' and "is Anyone Home' were great singles but I could listen to this CD all the way through without skipping anything. A wonderful upgrade from Clumsy.

Anyone who doesnt like OLP doesnt know what they are talking about! They are way under rated! every album they have produced is great. My favorite song on this CD is "Lying Awake." I play it over and over again and its the best song on the cd by far. I just bought the CD this summer so I have yet to wear it out, I already wore out Gravity and Spiritual Machines so I am on to Happiness now. I havent listened to it all the way but I love OLP so much that anything they do will get 5 stars. Trust me, I have excellent taste in music. Have fun!

Anyone who doesnt like OLP doesnt know what they are talking about! They are way under rated! every album they have produced is great. My favorite song on this CD is "Lying Awake." I play it over and over again and its the best song on the cd by far. I just bought the CD this summer so I have yet to wear it out, I already wore out Gravity and Spiritual Machines so I am on to Happiness now. I havent listened to it all the way but I love OLP so much that anything they do will get 5 stars. Trust me, I have excellent taste in music. Have fun!

OLP are such a talented band, and this CD is just as good as the rest. They are my boyfriend's favourite band and I like them very much - we have two copies of this CD hanging around, mine and his. It is a great listen for rock fans.