Six years have passed since Poor Old Lu retired after Picture of the Eighth Wonder. Still, The Waiting Room seems like the band has only been in Narnia while no time has passed in the real world.
The Waiting Room picks up where the last record left off. Tracks like "Now," "Crushed," "Crowded," and "The Waiting Room" are the hits, but the others aren't too shabby. Some of the songs just take a little longer to develop, but overall the musicianship hasn't changed and the production is even better.
Interestingly enough, the theme to The Waiting Room is the return of Christ. The element of time till Christ's return is present in many of the song titles such as "Now," "Today," "Month of Moments," "Friday to Sunday" and "The Waiting Room." In "Now," listeners are warned to be aware of the present time. "Don't dream of hours gone by, of seconds came and spent. Don't wish on distant stars, of worlds come and went." At the end of the album the title track makes it clear that earth is "the waiting room." "The world it can't be moving. It's been two thousand years or have I stopped breathing? Have I stopped believing? Believe me, I... Just want to have the patience of a saint to wait at the gate. Please don't be late."
An older and wiser Poor Old Lu is heard on The Waiting Room. Although, it's not quite as good as Picture of the Eighth Wonder, it's close. The recording was clearly a long drawn-out process, but listeners will find it was worth the wait.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #99Reviewed by Brian Quincy NewcombThe return of Washington-state alternative rockers Poor Old Lu, after the obligatory releases of a best-of (Chrono (1993-1998)) and a farewell concert recording (In Their Final Performance), should be no real surprise to Easter people. We should be getting used to resurrection by now. Still, in the world of pay-to-play Christian rock, one figures that sooner or later it's no longer going to be…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Chris MacIntoshOnce upon a time many, many years ago, in a land lost in legend, oh all right it was in Seattle and it was only ten years ago, a band was born. Taking their name from a line in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Poor Old Lu was born. After releasing a number of well received albums, the members of the group disbanded to pursue the greener pastures of solo careers. Bassist, Nick…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Keith GilesThe wait is over. Fans of Poor Old Lu will be thrilled to know that, not only has this talented band re-formed, they've also just released the most cohesive, evocative and passionate new recording in their "off-again, on-again" history. After nearly five years, hearing the opening strains of the album's first cut, "Revolve" is like getting a phone call from an old friend or a letter from a lost…Similar sounding releases
2003The Prayer ChainHere Comes the Rust
2002RushVapor Trails
2003BleachAstronomy
1995Adam AgainPerfecta
2002SilverchairDiorama
1996Seven Day JesusThe HungerMore from Poor Old Lu
1998Chrono (1993-1998)
1993Mindsize
1996A Picture of the Eighth Wonder
1992Star Studded Super Step
1998In Their Final Performance
