#47

# 47 Our Lady Peace (Healthy In Paranoid Times)

Like David Crowder, you'll see Our Lady Peace multiple times on this list. In rock star years these guys would be considered elder statesmen. Since '94 OLP has offered up catchy, dark, thought provoking albums. With the virtuosity of Mike Turner on guitar and the unusual vocal range of Raine Maida they have worked their way into the hearts of millions. Steve Mazur joined the band in 02 after Turner left the band due to creative differences. "Healthy..." was Mazur's second album with the band. The one goal for this album was to create a collection of songs that would give the band members goose bumps. They locked themselves in a studio until each song achieved the desired effect. The end result was a highly political and emotional album.
The album opens with the hauntingly powerful "Angels Losing Sleep" where Maida describes the end of the world as a parallel for the current state of the world. The declaration that he'll wait through the storm is both uplifting and evocative. "Will the Future Blame Us" is a relevant question and a chilling thought process of a man thinking outside of himself about the implications of bad decisions on a personal and political level. Challenging lines are sprinkled throughout the entire album, but they are most prominent in "Where Are You." "Did Jesus get it right, or is the devil behind the light?" With lines like these Maida paints a picture of someone questioning their faith. Accompanied by this line, "everything I've believed in has lied to me, but this could be the greatest day of my life," leaves hope allowing the character to realize that there is reasoning in questions and there is more to this life. This zest for life and zeal for seeking truth is utterly palpable throughout the album. Songs like "The World on a String" and "Don't Stop" lend a light hearted and hopeful attitude to the album. "Al Genina" is the most haunting and chilling song on the album. The words come off as a prayer as Maida calls for God to leave the light on for us.
OLP manages to produce a hopeful and amiguous spiritual album that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere in mainstream music. With this album OLP proves that the heart is the last thing that age takes.