Nearly ten years ago (it was October of 2003), I stood inside a dimly-lit ballroom at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas amongst a group of Musicland employees brought together for what would be (unbeknownst to them) one of their final Annual Meetings. The major crash of the music industry was looming just ahead, and if you asked them at the time, I’m sure that few (if any) would’ve predicted that the eventual bankruptcy, purchase, and elimination of their brand would come just three years later. As I stood there, Martini in-hand, the lights from the stage illuminated and the curtain dropped as the unannounced “surprise” performers for the night broke into their first song with the familiar lyrics… “It’s been one week since you looked at me…”
In the decade since, the BARENAKED LADIES have experienced their own set of ups-and-downs, starting with a return to being “independent” artists just a year after the release of EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE, the very album that they were in Vegas to promote. The rest of the 2000s brought a foray into the world of kids and family music with SNACKTIME!, the departure of a founding member, and the writing of a theme song for a little show called THE BIG BANG THEORY.
This week, the band celebrates their 25th Anniversary with the release of GRINNING STREAK – their first album for Vanguard Records, and second since becoming a quartet.
It’s become cliche to call a band more “grown-up” or “mature,” but GRINNING STREAK does present BARENAKED LADIES in a different light than their earlier works (admittedly, I missed 2010’s ALL IN GOOD TIME), and that’s to be expected for a band that’s been rocking for a quarter century. The jangly, alt-rock that you expect is there – accented by a dose of electronic accompaniments that compliment the songs well without going over-the-top or pushing the band into that weird space where machine starts to take over for man (Radiohead, Muse, Darth Vader).
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While “Boomerang” may be the album’s first single (albeit one recorded for an intended release last summer), it’s easy to hear the potential for radio success in the album opener “Limits,” the foot-stomping “Odds Are,” or the one song not sung by Ed Robertson… “Daydreamin’,” which finds Kevin Hearn stepping up to the mic for one of the album’s most memorable cuts.
Still fun, but not as silly, GRINNING STREAK is a lot like comfort food – a tasty and familiar dish prepared a little bit differently than when you last had it.
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The Rock Father Rating: 4/5 Stars
