Unwind
click the image to get it in cd-cover size
| Release Date: |
|
| Label: |
Universal |
| Rating: |
4.0 |
Description: This fine follow-up to Oleander's gold-selling 1999 effort,
February Son, finds the quartet coming into their own, forging an identity in an often-faceless pop-rock field populated by the likes of Collective Soul and Candlebox. Fronted by the dynamic Thomas Flowers, the group has blossomed from their Nirvana-lite roots into something more original and expansive. Witness the darkly evocative "Are You There?" which moves easily into "Halo," a lilting ballad rife with strings. From the funky and spare "Benign" to the rah-rah rave-up "Jimmy Shaker Day" to the soaring and soulful, Lenny Kravtiz-like "Tightrope," there's nary a loser to be found.
Unwind is most interesting on the harder-edged songs such as the raucous but taut "She's Up, She's Down." With stellar production, thoughtful arrangements, and well-crafted songs,
Unwind is the kind of album that fans and radio programmers alike can embrace. The Sacramento-bred band may be named after a poisonous flower, but this burgeoning bunch is anything but toxic.
--Katherine Turman
Tracklist of Unwind
Reviews:
fun and catchy but heavy nonetheless
i heard "why im here", but wasnt too impressed.so in spring of 2001, i heard "are you there" and i was floored.grabbed the cd immeaditely and loved what i heard."come to stay" is a fun and fast opener and is easily one of the best songs on here."yours if you like" is another upbeat song, slower than "come to stay" and even incorporates a synthesizer (?)."are you there" youve probably heard once before and it is an absolutely amazing catchy rock song.two mellow tracks follow that arent bad, but tracks 6,7, and 8 pick things up."ugoodbye" is kind of sludgy while "jimmy shaker day" has a "hey!" chant breakdown with really choppy beats."unwind" is an amazingly well done song and is extremely hooky during the chorus.the only drawback to this cd is the inclusion of some filler tracks, but the others DEFINTELY make up for it.a great cd for fans of collective soul,american hifi,doubledrive,and socialburn.
The best of their efforts
I like Oleander alot, there is just one problem that I have with their music, they have yet to realease that definitive cd. I have all of their major album releases and each one is worth buying. The problem is there is always so much filler! The only reason I call this album their best is beacause the filler is of better quality on this disc then the others. "are you there?" "come to stay" "unwind" and "jimmy shaker day" all have a quality about them that hit you in the ear drum and force you to listen. However, the big downfall of Oleander is that they seem to be in love with the ballad, and their not very good at them. "Benign" and "tightrope" are ok but either then that the rest of the album is that filler I was talking about. Don't misunderstand me, I encourage people to pick up this album, not only that but get "February son" and "Joyride" too. That way you can make an awesome mix cd and get rid of the filler.
Third rate Collective Soul...
Alt/Metal band from Sacramento...nothing great but better than a lot of the heavy metal/rap crap out there today. I would rate them a third rate Collective Soul.
