The fact that the Junos have an award category called “Adult Alternative Album of the Year” says a lot. Not long ago (see: the 1990s), you could easily draw a line between “indie” and “mainstream,” but you don’t need a music critic to tell you the two sides of the spectrum have increasingly become a big, tangled mess. Adding to the confusion is the pile of acts now falling under the “new adult contemporary” banner, such as easy-on-the-ears artists like Bon Iver, Feist and, yes, even Wilco. Unfortunately, Eight and a Half — the new project helmed by ex-Stills members Dave Hamelin and Liam O’Neil, along with Broken Social Scene’s Justin Peroff — have also embraced the inoffensive with their self-titled debut. The album offers little in the way of edge, sticking to light, bubbling electronics and a sure-and-steady mix of live and programmed drum work. And while the instrumental backdrop at times verges on that played-out Postal Service sound, what really sinks this album is Hamelin’s overly anthemic and dramatic vocal work, which repeatedly has Eight and a Half coming off like some kind of electro-fuelled Coldplay lite. And, no, that’s not a good thing. In effect, you get a release that’s bland at best and downright cringe-worthy at worst, making it just about perfect for some car manufacturer’s next ad campaign.
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