Boston-based miserabilists Staind have made a career out of providing a musical outlet for angry white males and social misfits. But for music fans outside this demographic their habit of picking at emotional scars smacks of self-indulgence. On their follow-up to 2001’s Breaking The Cycle, Staind offer little relief from neo-grunge’s vapid whining and automated guitar angst. The upbeat “Yesterday” could secure them a hit while “Zoe Jane”, a tribute to singer Aaron Lewis’ daughter, manages to stay the right side of mawkish. Still, with 14 tracks lasting over four minutes each, at times this album seems interminable.
Advertisement