Clumsy Review

Released: 1997
Genre: Rock
Styles: Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge
Number Of Tracks: 11
The intensity found on the first album is a bit more tame and, with Clumsy, the band attempts to beat the sophomore slump.

Sound:	9.3
Lyrics:	9.3
Impression:	9.7
Overall rating:	9.5
Reviewer rating:	9.4
Users rating:	9.6
Votes:	12

overall: 10

Reviewed by: starbomb13, on july 22, 2004

Sound: The sound of the music is pretty well put together and it flows well. The music really goes well with the lyrics and all. In "carnival", the music sounds exactly like a carnival, with the light drum beats over and over and the guitar that creates a perfect image of a carnival. On the other hand,about raine's voice you can either love it or f--ckin' think it's the most damn annoying thing on earth. I like it, but I know people who think it's like a cat whining. He has a very distinct style of singing, not heard anywhere else. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: All OLP lyrics are awesome. This album is no exception. Ther are times where you wonder what he hell he's singing about, such as in 'Superman's Dead', where he goes "doesn't anybody ever know that the world's a subway". Or in 'Automatic Flowers', where he sings about a supposed crazed girl called sara, but then in the chorus there's the line "these automatic flowers won't do." But because of these somewhat bizarre lyrics, they make you think of what he's trying to say and it's great because it's thought-provoking. // 10

Impression: Just like the lyrics you can either love the album or think it's an irritating piece of s--it. I love the album. I love their style in music, lyrics and overall flow. My favourite song from 'Clumsy' is well 'Clumsy'. I think it's because I relate to I most. And that's the thing about olp music you relate to it a lot. if it were stolen-yeah, I'd buy it again. // 10

overall: 8.3

Reviewed by: SameOld, on september 10, 2008

Sound: Their first album being a major hit in Canada, Our Lady Peace followed up with Clumsy. The production values are changed significantly here, with Guitars, Drums and Bass being toned down sonically and allowed Raine Maida to dominate the sound-scale with his nasally, neo-prophetic, angst-ridden yelps. However all is not lost, as Jeremy Taggart again demonstrates his talent, practically destroying every song with ease, it almost seems at times as if the man is improvising behind it all, he's that good. Mike Turner, an underrated guitarist in his own right, utilizes complex chords and subtle shifts to keep the music interesting. New bassist Duncan Coutts throws down consistently solid, if unremarkable rhythms, most notably on 'Automatic Flowers'.

Some songs seem a little un-refined, however. Tracks like 'Shaking' and 'The Story of 100 Aisles' are solid, but 'Shaking' lacks good musical direction and feels bland, while '100 Aisles' could easily have been great with it's wacky lyrics, but ends up as a screeching rocker that doesn't really go anywhere. // 8

Lyrics and Singing: Raine Maida shows that his strange, incomprehensible lyrics are a thing of the past - and he abandons them in favor of lyrics so bizarre it's hard to even discern what whole songs mean. Apparently he takes his inspiration from beat-poets, which would explain his lyrical deviations, but it's hard to ignore out-of-this-world song titles like 'The Story of 100 Aisles' and 'Big Dumb Rocket'.
Just wait until you actually listen to the song themselves,

"Hey what do you see
its not me not me
why won't you share
it's not fair
there's a bicycle show
where the bicycle's float"

And excerpt of 'Let You Down'. Accompanying his odd songs are his trademark high-pitched vocals, which drone on and on, yet, despite their screeching quality, you find yourself wanting more. Raine Maida takes each song and goes over it completely, his voice infecting each every second, but it doesn't really get old. To his credit he does relent on certain tracks, '4 AM' and 'Clumsy' notably, displaying that he is actually a talented singer. // 8

Impression: Fairly solid CD - a little sickly compared to Naveed, which was hard as a rock for all it's 11 tracks. Raine Maida displays incredibly emotional singing here, as does Mike Turner, culminating on the horrifying surreal closer 'Car Crash' which Maida howls agonizingly against the wailing lament of Turner's lonely guitar. Clumsy is a good CD, not great, and most of the tracks are quite catchy, 'Superman's 'Dead', 'Automatic Flowers', '4 AM', 'Clumsy' and the less-catchy but extremely atmospheric 'Car Crash' are all highly recommended. // 9

overall: 10

Reviewed by: KevinKung, on august 09, 2004

Sound: The sound of the album is definitely great. Our Lady Peace can't be classified into a certain group because of its eclectic forms of rock they incorporate. The bass lines (Duncan Coutts) are done extremeley well with licks here and there to introduce new parts. The guitarist (Mike Turner) makes a very unique sound out of is guitar which is unheard anywhere else. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics may be very confusing yet thought provoking. Raine Maida makes a very unique voice also unheard anywhere else. But I think that on all songs he puts in the right tone and mood that expresses his thoughts. // 10

Impression: Our Lady Peace really overcomes the sophomore slump most bands encounter. As critics and fans expected a better 2nd album from their first debut album "Naveed", they outdo themselves with a bunch of great songs. "Superman's Dead" and "Automatic Flowers" are my favorite tracks on the album. There are also slow moving rock songs such as "4 A.M." and "Clumsy" two of they're main signature songs. Nonetheless, Our Lady Peace really makes themselves original on this record. Although it was made back in 1997, it's popularity still exists in the music world today. // 10

Comments

[blinnk16]

Reviewed by: KevinKung, on august 09, 2004
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: The sound of the album is definitely great. Our Lady Peace can't be classified into a certain group because of its eclectic forms of rock they incorporate. The bass lines (Duncan Coutts) are done extremeley well with licks here and there to introduce new parts. The guitarist (Mike Turner) makes a very unique sound out of is guitar which is unheard anywhere else. // 10

Lyrics: The lyrics may be very confusing yet thought provoking. Raine Maida makes a very unique voice also unheard anywhere else. But I think that on all songs he puts in the right tone and mood that expresses his thoughts. // 10

Impression: Our Lady Peace really overcomes the sophomore slump most bands encounter. As critics and fans expected a better 2nd album from their first debut album "Naveed", they outdo themselves with a bunch of great songs. "Superman's Dead" and "Automatic Flowers" are my favorite tracks on the album. There are also slow moving rock songs such as "4 A.M." and "Clumsy" two of they're main signature songs. Nonetheless, Our Lady Peace really makes themselves original on this record. Although it was made back in 1997, it's popularity still exists in the music world today. // 10

Way to copy everything else said by the first reviews.

[FinderofNemo]

He has a very distinct style of singing, not heard anywhere else.

I gotta disagree. I like his voice, but it's pretty much a much less nasaly Billy Corgan.

[Saverain]

I got this album for a dollar...And after listening to it for a week, I am just blown away by the overall brilliance of it. Lyrics, music all just great. What album should I get next, I think I'll try Naveed.