Isn’t it great when an album reintroduces itself into your life? Nest made that move last summer, and I spent a good chunk of it in our garage.
The roof on Sarah’s car was having some severe issues with rust, and since she was working from home, it seemed like a good idea to take care of it myself. Then the rear brakes in my car started making noise, so I took care of that. Then, the front bumper of Sarah’s car cracked when it disagreed with a stop sign, and I took care of that, too. In between, the oil was changed, new spark plugs were installed, and the brake fluid was replaced. Oh my!
Throughout it all, Odds’ Nest was there. I brought a giant stack of CDs into the garage to spin, but more often than not, I would hit play on it again. Even as frustration from the challenges I gave myself would set in, something about its light “orange” pop-rock vibe kept me in good spirits.
Someone Who’s Cool: A+
The theme song for the short-lived Tom Cavanagh vehicle, Love Monkey, and a top ten hit here in Canada. This is probably the band’s most well-known song. It gives me all the warm fuzzies from my college days. I remember hearing it coming from a stranger’s open dorm room window for the first time. This was the hook that made me a fan.
Make You Mad: A+
This is the album’s other hit to earn a top ten spot on the Canadian music charts. Northey’s honest lyrics…
When I call you beautiful
It’s cause I can
And when you think I’m sucking up
I sort of am
…are excellent.
Hurt Me: A
Man, Northey can shred when he wants to. I love how the horn section adds colour.
Heard You Wrong: A
Break-up songs are usually not my thing, but this one is.
Tears & Laughter: A
The lyrics for this one are abstract, but it has a good groove. So, I dig it.
Nothing’s Beautiful: A+
This bouncy acoustic-driven song is the most underrated in Odds’ catalogue. The Byrds/Blue Rodeo 12-string guitar fills and this lyric:
Cockroaches turn adversity to immunity
There ain’t a niche lower in the animal kingdom
Or one with more longevity’cause nothing beautiful
Nothing beautiful lasts
…fills me with joy.
Say You Mean It Wondergirl: A
Solid heavy rocker with a trippy solo towards the end of the song.
Out Come Stars: A
During my youth, I spent many evenings at my Grandparent’s cottage staring at the stars with little light pollution. I had very similar thoughts to the ones mentioned in this song. And I like how the last bit gets jammy.
Night’s Embrace: A
I like how the drums are behind the groove for this song. Well, at least they feel that way to me.
Suppertime: A+
This song feels post Sgt. Pepper’s Beatles-y. The abstract lyrics, the high note in the chorus, and the slide guitar fills. Eat your heart out, Lennon/McCartney.
At Your Word: A
I like how the album lands on this song with the drum cymbals fading out. It is almost another tribute to the Beatles with a little Hey Jude vibe towards the end.
Eventually, almost everyone I knew in the late ’90s had a copy of Nest, and it is easy to see why. Not only did it make for an excellent mix with Weezer’s “Blue Album,” but it is also loaded with bangers. The future may change things, but Nest is Odds’ best for now, and I recommend it to newcomers to the band. One last fun fact about Nest before I wrap this up, the only industry award this album won went to Craig Northey’s cat for producing this album. I’ll let the Instagram post from the band tell the story:
An extremely biased: 5/5
The odds are you need more Odds/Craig Northey/Strippers Union in you:
[Album Review] Odds | Neopolitan
[Album Review] Odds | Bedbugs
[Album Review] Odds | Good Weird Feeling
[Album Review] Odds | Nest
[Album Review] Craig Northey | Giddy Up
[Album Review] Northey Valenzuela
[Album Review] Strippers Union | Stripper’s Union Local 518
[Album Review] The New Odds | Cheerleader
[Album Review] Strippers Union | The Deuce
[EP Review] Odds | The Most Beautiful Place On Earth
[EP Review] Odds | Game Face On
[EP Review] Odds | Party Party Party
[Album Review] Strippers Union | 3- The Undertaking
[Album Review] Odds | Crash The Time Machine
Canadian Grooves 
Story Time’s are good Kev. Great writeup and man what a ton of work you did on the Batmobile! I could never undertake anything like that so my hats off to you!
What else is cool is that this 1 buck CD made you go and check out the Strippers! lol
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Yeah, I wish I had stories for all of them like you and Mike do, lol It is funny, there are a lot of recent videos on YouTube about how CDs are making a comeback. You might have to add a player to your setup, lol
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Better man than me for taking on car maintenance. I tell my kids God gave me a job so I could pay people to work on my car. Another great review and I like the song you posted. I could get in to Odds. Keep ’em coming.
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I never would have done it myself if Sarah was still commuting and I didn’t have time to make a lot of mistakes, lol. And YouTube definitely makes things a lot easier. But I enjoy not having anxiety over getting ripped off at the shop and saving money for records!
I’m glad you’re digging Odds, John! Unfortunately they only came back for one more album after this (So far!).
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Aww! Oh well, I’ll be happy with the Odds we got then.
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