Siberia - Harm's Way

Genre rock Publisher Little Pony Records External Links Little Pony Records

Though I've never been, I can't imagine that Siberia is exactly the cheeriest spot for someone to visit. Perhaps the northern area of Russia is the victim of a bad public relations fiasco, or perhaps reports that the area is a cold and lifeless block of barren ice are true. After listening to Harm's Way, the album from mope-rockers Siberia, I feel as if I've visited a place where nothing good or happy could possibly exist or survive.

Harm's Way is a depressing album, both in content and delivery. It's not that the entire album is just patently depressing, but it is so morosely uninspired. Over brooding guitars, lead singer Randy Farmer lets the world know how miserable she is. From the very first lines in "Lie Down," the opening track, she's playing the role of battered wife, asking someone to "Tell me why I abuse myself/Tell me why I let you use me." Sometimes Farmer wonders why she's so miserable, but most of the time she narrows her focus down to one group: Men.

Throughout it all, Farmer whispers and softly moans the lyrics. This is not a woman angry that she has been scorned, this is just a woman depressed at her lot in life. There's a lot of moping, and it grows tiresome fast. On "Cold", she instructs someone to "Sell me, I'm already sold/Kill me, I'm already cold." On "Quicksand," she states that "I wish I felt something other than this." After a while, I couldn't help but think that Farmer is someone in desperate need of a cute little puppy to turn that frown upside down.

Albums like this aren't supposed to be cheery pick-me-ups, that's understandable. But Harm's Way does nothing to impress. The music, written by John Mitchell, is bland and dull and Farmer's voice just gets irritating as the album wears on. Harm's Way is as depressing and barren as the band's namesake. When you're done with this trip to Siberia, you certainly feel as if you've contracted hypothermia.