3:00 AM is a beautiful time. It's the moment the unexpected catharsis hits you, or it's the hour when the questioning becomes so intense that you wonder about every one of life's complexities. They say great art must come from suffering, and since the only people still up at 3:00 AM are the sufferers, a twilight hours compilation was inevitable. Thus comes Driving In The Rain: 3 AM Songs To Get Lost With. Having lofty expectations to fill (i.e. my expectations) because that time of morning is so important, I can only say that I am somewhat disappointed with this compilation. However, I must clarify that it's not the music itself I'm disappointed with, but the overall feel and mood of the track selection. Anyone who's ever experienced the early morning (whether it be in the throes of insomnia, or the grip of diffused apprehension), knows that upbeat, hope-inducing songs are not what it's about. It's about despondence, detachment and getting lost, something this compilation does not even come close to doing. Take, for example, Kimberley Rew's "Restless Ocean", or the opening cut, "Opiate" by the Orchid Highway - both are fine pieces of college pop, obviously inspired by the Smiths, old Blue Rodeo, and the cabaret stylings of Rufus Wainwright. And both are tracks I'd probably enjoy more so at around midnight, while still jovial and in good spirits (with good spirits in hand, of course). But the drive home from downtown at 3:00 AM is a different experience, folks, and these tracks simply do not fulfill the goal of this record. While it's unfair to simply pinpoint two songs to criticize, they are symptomatic of the whole album's miscalculation. Let's put it this way: my 3:00 AM compilations (many of which I made long before I had even heard of this record, incidentally) involve the likes of Chroma Key, the Cure, Joy Division, Kid Loco, Pink Floyd and Massive Attack. Nowhere in that mish-mash of musical styles, subgenres and decades is there any trace of anything uplifting. And, given the mandate so prominently displayed in its title, there shouldn't be said uplift on Songs To Get Lost With, either. RECOMMENDED TRACKS: "Celtic Cross" (BB Gabor), "A Darkened Stretch" (Jeffrey Morgan with Dean Motter) - David Perri, CHRW Radio, London, ON

By David Perri
Jul 4, 2002