Happy Pills
Poor little Candlebox. Not only were they written off as one of a dozen or so Seattle clone bands, but they were also the first of the postgrunge, here-today-gone-tomorrow crop that's grown fertile with the addition of groups such as Third Eye Blind, Matchbox 20, and Marcy Playground. So how does Candlebox aim to thwart expectations and hurdle obstacles? Simple. They get all sentimental, forsaking alt-rock muscle in favor of slick, overtly melodic rhythms and overly produced arrangements. Even when they threaten to kick out the jams, as on the title track and "Blinders," they resort to lilting vocals and ragged, predictable blues-rock passages because, hey, that's what sells. Probably not this time.--Jon Wiederhorn