Spun: Raine Maida

By Ryan Pike

Much of the musical landscape is littered with solo acts, typically band members pursuing side projects that allow them to stray from their regular repitoire. Since 1992, Raine Maida has been part of the Canadian musical landscape–not only as the frontman of Our Lady Peace, but also as a writer and producer for artists such as Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson. With diverse creative outlets like these, one would wonder why the heck Raine Maida has delved into a solo career.

Maida’s debut solo album, The Hunter’s Lullaby, is unremarkable. The album sounds like an Our Lady Peace album, except with less of a rock sound and production polish. The first single, “Yellow Brick Road,” is probably best representative of the album: it’s excellent, but the lyrics are indistinguishable from Maida’s previous work. Given that the rationale for a side solo gig was to express himself creatively, it’s puzzling that Maida–free of restrictions–created the same thing he did before.

After 15 years, Raine Maida has become well-established in the Canadian music scene. While The Hunter’s Lullaby is the competent result folks have come to expect from him, the absence of the Our Lady Peace name means it’ll be hard to find an audience for its songs and, thus, it’s doomed to become CanCon radio filler.