BNL has made the leap into CD-ROM with both of their recent releases - the "Shoe Box" single and Born On A Pirate Ship - having CD-ROM capabilities. So, for those non-Canadians who haven't seen their videos, it's a great opportunity to see the band's original quirkiness, and find out a little bit about the members.
What about the music? Andy Creegan, who played piano, has left the group, but other members take turns on the instrument, where appropriate. The music is a bit "harder" than its predecessors and the lyrics take on a much more "mature" outlook than talking about grade 9 and Brian Wilson.
"Shoe Box", which has been available for several months now on the Friends soundtrack, is a return to the bouncy ditties that first turned many fans on to the Barenaked Ladies. The E.P. also includes a remixed version of the song, an unreleased version of "If I Had $1,000,000" and an unavailable (elsewhere) song, "Trust Me". Good for completists, but casual fans won't want to get the single.
Born On A Pirate Ship is a step above, and much more consistent than, Maybe You Should Drive. But whereas Gordon was one of the best albums of the 1990's, this latest effort still doesn't come close to approaching it. It's time for people such as this critic to accept that BNL won't ever take that approach again, and while lighthearted gems such as "Shoe Box" may come out, they won't be the norm.
