Oleander - February Son
Grade: C+
By Matt Levine
 Sacramento-based Oleander opens its major label debut, "February Son," with
delusions of grandeur. The first track and first single from the album, "Why I'm Here,"
opens with a beautifully orchestrated version of the opening riff from Nirvana's "Heart
Shaped Box" and segues into a majestic tune that sounds like Metallica covering Alice In
Chains. "I Walk Alone" shows a great deal of promise for the band as well. The track
would appeal to the Matchbox 20 set with its soft opening melodies and an explosive
chorus. The rest of "February Son" greatly dims in comparison to those two tracks.
Songs like "Lost Cause" and "Never Again" leave absolutely no impression and basically
work as mediocre background music. Oleander's cover of the Cure's classic "Boys Don't
Cry" sounds absolutely flat and makes the band sound like a hackneyed bar band. All of
the opening riffs on "February Son" ring with an intriguing resonance, but the back-ups
to those riffs drudge along on your stereo. Oleander currently exists as the 90's
equivalent to an 80's hair band; it possesses some talent, but wastes it all on one or two
singles, leaving the rest of the album as a pile of mediocrity.
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