Black Lab (http://www.blacklabworld.com) had one of the most forgotten disappearing acts in the late '90s.
After scoring modern-rock radio hits with "Wash It Away" and "Time Ago," Black Lab drifted from public consciousness. Nobody seemed to bother to find out what happened to them. Then again, it was a puzzling time. When Black Lab's major-label bow, "Your Body Above Me," was released in 1997, Kurt Cobain had been dead for three years already; Soundgarden was disbanded; and Britpop had burned out. In other words, alternative radio, Black Lab's natural home, was in a state of confusion. The format grabbed everything different in sight - ska, swing, Lilith Fair femme folk - to make up for the lack of rock superstars.
And that's the world that Black Lab had entered. "Wash It Away" and "Time Ago" both had the dramatic choruses and slick, guitar-heavy production to snag Live's fanbase of thoughtful twentysomethings. Somehow they just weren't able to reach the top.
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On "See the Sun," Black Lab pick up where they left off. Black Lab were always more melodic and intelligent than much of what was released during the grunge era. That hasn't changed at all with "See the Sun." The soaring vocals and crunchy riffs on the title track and "Lonely Boy" could've been placed on "Your Body Above Me" without anybody noticing a difference.
There is a minor change, though, in that Black Lab are experimenting with keyboards this time around. The wall of synthesizers that opens "Perfect Girl" was a little startling, but in a good way. It's screaming to be a hit, like most of this album. Let's hope they can do it this time.
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