When
the Lowest of the Low
entered the studio to record the follow-up to their popular Canadian debut, they chose to go with a "name" producer --
Don Smith
, whose previous credits included
the Tragically Hip
,
Cracker
, and
Keith Richards
. While this move succeeded in increasing the
hard rock
quotient of the resulting disc, it comes largely at the expense of the
lo-fi
charm and personal touches found on
Shakespeare My Butt
. As such, much of
Hallucigenia
is made up of unremarkable fast- to mid-tempo rockers (
"Pistol,"
"Eating the Rich,"
"Motel 30"
). However, there are a few bright spots here, most notably
"City Full of Cowards,"
"Black Monday,"
and
"That Song About Trees and Kites."
In all, a disappointing sophomore release from a promising band. Sadly,
did not get a chance to return to top form -- they broke up about a year after the release of
. (While the band did reunite in 2000 to play some live shows, there were no plans to return to the studio.) ~ Robert Kaups