K = Bollocks

Naveed = KKKKK

With 'Naveed' already exceeding triple platinum status in their native Canada, Our Lady Peace are currently Epic Records' best-kept secret. Look for the covers to be lifted this week, with the UK release of this marvellous debut. Within 'Naveed's finely textured grooves lie the seeds of something quite magnificent. Take the dramatic songwriting of Live or Pearl Jam and mix it with the bullish grit of Bush. Add a touch of Alice In Chains' trippy, strung-out vibe and you're already an Our Lady Peace fan.

Although the Toronto-based outfit possess all the credentials of mid-90's post-grunge cool, there is nothing faked or insincere about any of the 11 songs on Naveed. This band's melodic qualities are obvious on first play, but there is also a thinly veiled beauty lurking just beneath the surface that takes hold of the imagination with repeated plays. The title track, for example, is a dreamlike journey through allmanner of emotions, easily on a par with Live's 'Lightning Crashes'. It is not alone. 'The Birdman' opens in deceptively mellow Blind Melon tones before launching into the first of many breathtaking choruses. 'Supersatellite' and 'Starseed' are the most likely singles, both persistent songs which rise effortlessly into stirring melodies. 'Neon Crossing' shows Our Lady Peace at their most aggressive, though it is overshadowed by the rousing emotions of 'Julia' and the brooding undercurrent of 'Dirty Walls'. And when you think you've got this band sussed, they punctuate 'Denied' with a jagged cacophony of guitars which is as unexpected as it is brilliant.

Taken at face value, Our Lady Peace with a wealth of raw feeling and considerable individual talent. Raine Maida's heartfelt vocals are virtually the equal of Live's Ed Kowalczyk, and at 18 years old drummer Jeremy Taggart is an incredibly precocious talent. Maida has been studying criminology at Toronto University, which may explain the probing intelligence of the lyrics and the backdraft of anger and loss that courses through the album. Massive back home, just watch them go in '96.

STEVE BEEBEE, Kerrang! Feb 10 1996