There is always something inherently irritating about rich white Americans complaining about how lonely/miserable/depressed/angry they are. When the music is good, as it was for a select few of the Seattle grunge explosion (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, etc), then the lyrics can be overlooked. However, since grunge died, there have been a few impersonators trying to keep up its sense of alienation, whilst missing the point completely and making dire music. On a related topic, here's Staind with their fifth album.

If you thought that 10 million album sales would have cheered up Aaron Lewis and his bunch since their breakthrough smash hit It's Been A While, then you'd be sadly mistaken.

Opening track on their fifth album (imaginatively titled Chapter V) Run Away has the opening line: "I'm still scared, afraid of falling." Well, who isn't? Ironically, on Falling, we then learn: "I already told you that falling is easy. It's getting back up that becomes the problem."

Life's a bitch, huh? It seems to be in Lewis' world anyway, and never mind that he thanks his wife and two young daughters in the credits, because he keeps on with those pesky: "Schizophrenic conversations that I'm always having with myself. I hear these voices in my head competing. Maybe I could use a little help."

Unfortunately, he doesn't get much help from the rest of the band, as Staind's music is all very cliched and frankly rather dull. There are sparks of life, on Run Away and the heavy Paper Jesus (although the Layne Staley-style vocals at the start only make you want to listen to Dirt), while they do stumble across a nice melody or two along the way.

However, first single Right Here is more like the rest of their fare, slow and ponderous with lyrics that are just as cliched as any crappy chart pop song. Ironically there is one great line on this album: "Aren't you tired of this dysfunctional routine?" Lewis asks on Falling. Yes, we are...