REVIEW: Oleander, February Son (Republic)
- Jason Cahill
The opening chords of "Why I'm Here", the opening track on February Son, are so alarmingly reminiscent of Nirvana that I thought I had mistakenly cued up In Utero . In retrospect, I wish I had. February Son, the major label debut from Sacramento's Oleander is, at its best, the backwash at the bottom of the soda can that was grunge music. Instead of allowing that genre its dignified demise, Oleander seem intent on reminding us of the good old days when plaids were fashion and bands like Sponge were the flavor of the minute.
One of the few bands who have successfully maintained the so-called grunge sound and built upon the foundation laid by bands like Nirvana is Local H. Odd when you consider that Steven Haigler, the producer behind Local H's early masterpiece Ham Fisted, is also produces February Son. With Local H and Fuel, Haigler managed to capture a raw energy while still sculpting a cohesive rock landscape. February Son, by comparison, sounds stale and processed with relatively few elements of raw energy. Haigler's fault? Possible, but improbable when you consider his track record. Sometimes you just can't get blood from a stone.
In terms of the album's actual sound, it's something of a conglomeration of varied styles. Think Soundgarden meets White Lion. Traditional hard rock coupled with the occasional metal ballad thrown in for good measure. None of what is heard on February Son is either cutting or original; some of it works, most of it doesn't. "Why I'm Here", the album's first single, takes the opening riff of Nirvana's "Rape Me", but fails to borrow any of that song's edge or originality. "How Could I?" is slow, very slow and contains lyrics like "..how could I be so blind that I could not see...". Well doesn't that just go without saying?
Oleander does show signs of life in "I Walk Alone", which could just as easily have been a Third Eye Blind single, and "Lost Cause", a fun rocker which manages to do something most of the other songs on the album don't - it rocks. One of the album's better moments comes in the form of a cover of The Cure's "Boys Don't Cry". While the vocals don't begin to even approach the stylistic and emotive wails of Cure frontman Robert Smith, the cover does have its charm. Then again, it may just have been a welcomed respite from Oleander's tiresome originals. Imagine a mediocre opening band finally playing something other than songs from their soon to be released album - you'd still rather they just left the stage, but if they absolutely must stay, they might as well play something you know.
The centerpiece of February Son is "Never Again", a song which borrows lyrics from, of all bands, Reo Speedwagon. Enough said.
