Odds released Crash the Time Machine this year. And it was my first new-new music from Odds ever, as I’ve only known about the band for a few years thanks to Our Liner Notes host Chris Maier. Up to this point, it’s only been new-to-me music.
The internet describes Odds as “a Canadian power pop alternative rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia,” and who am I to argue with that?
The band has quite a few albums in its back catalog, but the one that I gravitate towards as my favorite is Cheerleader. This brand new album is much closer to Cheerleader than any of their others that I’m familiar with. For me, this is, in a single word, great. Chris will have his opinions, as I know he prefers their early stuff, but we will put that aside and just take a look at this album by itself for now.
Chris can write his own post and talk about his review of the album on his own podcast, which I’m sure he might do. Keep an ear out!
“I hope the world allows… me to be in now.” The first track is the title track, and it feels like a great opening number to set the stage for what you are about to hear. Plus the line that started this paragraph might be one of my favorites.
Odds lyrics have always been one of their great appeals to me, which is why I fell in love with Cheerleader and even lead singer Craig Northey’s other project Northey Valenzuela. This album is full of great contemporary poetic lyrics of the current world we inhabit.
These aren’t lyrics that belong to yesterday or a theoretical tomorrow. These are for today and the music is bluesy rock with some funky grooves woven throughout. Songs like “Winning Is Everything,” “Fall Guy,” and “Fairytale of Heaven” could be dissected by psychologists, sociologists, and English Lit majors in a great discussion of meaning and theory.
Yet there are some comparisons to be made sonically to music from long ago such as “Unlikely Saviour” which sounds like an Eels song and “Staring at a Blank Page” is reminiscent of The Cars. The latter also speaks to my soul as a writer.
But even if you aren’t a lyrics person and you could care less about the poetry in the words, this is a great adult contemporary rock album. It has a great consistent beat throughout that keeps powering on, even through some ballad-type songs.
Overall, it’s bluesy and groovy, and while it’s timelessness will be debatable its current relevance is ridiculously on the nose! This album has tracks that will be relevant to headlines this year and probably (sadly) for a few more still to come.
And yet it still remains somehow a net positive as it laughs at the hard times and the tyrants of our age.