A Decade

Album Review

Technically, Toronto's Our Lady Peace have been around for more than a decade, but nonetheless, their 2006 greatest-hits album, A Decade, arrives right on time in the course of their career. After all, the title does makes sense — the songs here start with their 1995 debut, Naveed, and go all the way through 2005's Healthy in Paranoid Times, drawing multiple tracks from both albums and the four in between, to paint a rather representative picture of the Canadian post-grunge rockers. OLP have been around long enough that this isn't just a superfluous release, instead actually doing fans — especially casual ones — a favor by rounding up basically every big hit the band has ever had into one tidy package. This is all the OLP that anyone could ever really need, since they've thoughtfully trimmed away all of the excess fat to leave only the meaty, most memorable offerings on the table for maximum satisfaction. The record aptly covers the two relatively different sides of the band — both of which share the distinct vocal stylings of Raine Maida — and the guys can rock out (i.e. "Starseed," "Superman's Dead," "One Man Army," "Where Are You") just as easily as they can bring it down a notch for smooth and soaring reflection (i.e. "4AM," "Thief," "Life," "Angels/Losing/Sleep"). Everyone has a personal favorite and this includes them all — plus a pair of previously unreleased tracks to entice old fans who no doubt have all the songs already.