PunBB

cortezthekiller Wrote:Well, as a huge Neil Young fan, I have to say that Harvest doesn't even make my top 5 Neil albums. Some great songs, for sure, but not his best work, IMO. I much prefer the bare bones nature of Tonight's The Night or Zuma. I hear what you're saying,though. I dunno, I just think the guitars should be more in the forefront and not completely swallowed by orchestral strings and sometimes, keys. Like I've said before, I don't hate strings and I don't hate keys. IMO, there are songs that just don't need either of them, in the same way that not all songs require a guitar solo. I agree with the cmg review that the keys completely make "Honey, Please" sound dinky, for instance. I mean, there's some nice guitar there, but the dinky keys detract from the song. "The Last Recluse" is another song where there is just way too much going on.

As far Jason Lewis' review, yeah it's a little uninformative and maybe a tiny bit frat boyish. I can't really explain in detail why I agree with him about the session players comment, other than it makes sense to me. It just sounds to me like there isn't enough creativity and umph in the music, like what I'm used to hearing from them. I know, that sounds sketchy, is not really a valid answer, I'm sure the band members would find offense in those comments. I dunno, there's just something about the album that seems a little too sappy for me. I mean, this album does kind of remind me of Coldplay, and I hate Coldplay's over the top, sugary songs. I just would like to know how much input Bob Rock had. This album sounds almost like an album where the band members pretty much let Mr. Rock tell them what to play, if you want me to be honest with ya. Maybe they are running out of ideas and were glad to give a producer so much control over their songs, I don't know. Maybe it WAS their idea to make a record that sounded so orchestal and grandiose. I'm just a fan, that's all. I'm certainly not a fan who just pines for 1992 Hip , either. The Hip have made some tremendous music in recent years. I had an idea that Bob Rock might not be my favourite producer since I hate Motley Crue, Metallica, and saw that he worked with Simple Plan. :?

Thanks for your follow up on this. I appreciate your comments and I understand and respect your point of view. I'm a huge Neil Young fan as well and I agree - Harvest isn't in my top 5 NY albums either - they would be Tonight's The Night, On The Beach, Rust Never Sleeps, After The Goldrush and Zuma. I also think that since Sleeps With Angels he has slid back into very inconsistent territory, though he is still sublime live.
The first time I heard this album my immediate reaction was that this album would be VERY divisive among fans and I think it has. I've found, though, that I'm really drawn to this album - I can't stop listening to it and I really think in time it will come to be seen as a classic Hip album - and is right now very near the top of my favorite albums by the band. I Really think Gord's singing is excellent on this album, very emotional. Now The Struggle Has A Name in particular is starting to stick out for me as possibly the best song on the album.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.thetunemusic.com/2009/04/tragically-hip-we-are-same-2009.html">http://www.thetunemusic.com/2009/04/tra ... -2009.html</a><!-- m -->

Grades:
Overall: A-
Music: A
Vocals: B
Lyrics: B
Creativity: A-
Catchiness: B

You know, with all this talk about immigration, I thought I might get on board the bus myself. This is America. Why should we let foreigners invade our territory? Why should we let them change our preset assumptions? Why should we let them in America, the best country ever? Ever! And, despite foreigners taking jobs and government support, the biggest way they impact us is with their music. Damn Canadians. Stay out of our country!

I am, of course, kidding. I find it funny, however, that bands like The Tragically Hip can be so huge and influential in Canada, but virtually unknown in the U.S., even in music circles. So, just in time for their 11th album, I decided to give them a spot on my site. Don't worry, American bands. You still have room. The Tragically Hip aren't out to steal anyone's ears, just to please them with their midtempo alternative numbers. Imagine old O.A.R. without the ska influences, or The Cure without the goth, or jam bands without the insipid length and lack of hooks. "Hey there, coffee girl," they sing on "Coffee Girl," before a horn solo - and it's perfect mood music for Starbucks. How come they haven't jumped on this train yet? Oh yeah. The Tragically Hip are Canadian.

Elsewhere, strings bless the 9 1/2 minute "The Depression Suite," which could easily be shortened but feels fitting at that length. Folky guitar on "Queen Of The Furrows" show one side of the group, while "Frozen In My Tracks" contains an almost hard rock chorus with snarled lyrics. Even first single "Love Is A First" changes it up, as Gordon Downie (could your name BE any more Canadian?) talk-sings "you don't just blurt love is a curse" Modest Mouse-style. Finally, "Morning Moon" draws from obvious Bob Seger influences. Man, these Canadians may just put some American bands out of a job...

For pop/folk/rock, a 70's feel, helping bands immigrate to the U.S. Try "Morning Moon" or immerse yourself in The Hip here.

yeah, that Starbucks reference is kind of disturbing -- almost as disturbing as the Starbucks thread. Gord Downie blurting things out Modest Mouse-style -- I knew he was cribbing off somebody with those rants.

ct

The Tragically Hip IS an American band, "playing American music by way of the UK - with a coat of Canadian paint" ... this is close to a recent Downie quote. IMO there is nothing about the Hip's music that is inherently Canadian, other than several scattered lyrical references; but there are American pointers as well. So what makes the HIP so Canadian? Well, they live Canada, they support Canadian charities and artists, and they know the 401 is not a retirement savings plan. But the music, and I'm assuming that's what we're all here for, is American. Your kilometerage may vary.

From Ticketmaster.ca - http://www.ticketmaster.ca/artist/736328...rtist_Name

Recorded in 2008's year of continental excess and governmental Spending Gone Wild, The Tragically Hip's latest album, We Are the Same, brings its listeners something beyond the unexpected: actual hope. Gord Downie's lyrics—backed by a band ripe with confidence and skill—tackle what we might assume had passed far under the bridge. Should a first listen be given to a person recently hatched from a time capsule, or a pod sent from beyond Mars, she might believe that our essential uniting tenet, faith in humanity, still exists. We are, indeed, the Same, and when this is recognized, a bit of that space between us all shrinks.

thebends Wrote:The Tragically Hip IS an American band, "playing American music by way of the UK - with a coat of Canadian paint" ... this is close to a recent Downie quote. IMO there is nothing about the Hip's music that is inherently Canadian, other than several scattered lyrical references; but there are American pointers as well. So what makes the HIP so Canadian? Well, they live Canada, they support Canadian charities and artists, and they know the 401 is not a retirement savings plan. But the music, and I'm assuming that's what we're all here for, is American. Your kilometerage may vary.

No.

Dunno if this has been posted yet.

http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/04/20...-the-same/

By Timothy Berger

The Tragically Hip has been around for 20 years now. Unfortunately, the name of these Canadian rockers only works within the context of our northern neighbors. “The Hip” are more than well-known in native Ontario, but beyond the southern borders, they remain virtual, well, unknown. They hold a considerate generational gap with today’s ‘hip’, with the band consisting of 40-something rockers. Today’s instant gratification infected youth, that embodies our hip-obsessed country, reveal it’s no surprise their following hasn’t gotten past Windsor. If they were played on our radio stations, they would be lumped in with adult-contemporary channels that feed us our normal daily dose of Dire Straits and Genesis. Their newly forged, and neatly polished records would serve as a footnote on the never-ending release party that our digital age has provided us with.

However, they deserve more credit than the previous paragraph appears to give them. Perhaps we should liken them much closer to Indie forefathers like Built to Spill (perhaps), just disguised as Canadians. Of course, they still have been an Ontarion (I think that’s a word) standard for a long, long time. And sure, the Kingston foursome will likely never realize the commercial success is America, something Canadian artists like Rush, Neil Young, Bryan Adams or even the Barenaked Ladies have, but, they hold their own up north and are properly respected for it. (Canadian Walk of Fame, Canadian Music Hall of Fame, 14 Juno Awards).

So, what should one expect from The Tragically Hip’s latest creation? Is this the album that finally thrusts these Canadians into mainstream America?

No, and probably not. If anything, the Hip’s latest studio effort is just the Hip being the Hip, nothing more, nothing less.

It’s clear from the start of We Are The Same that this band is used to writing straight forward rock songs, which serve easy listening tastes as well as those who appreciate straight forward song writing. The album begins with a Neil Young-like riff in “Morning Moon” that flows into a enduring and endearing strum. They delve into different genres during the nearly hour long record. The have roots that range from country to hard rock, which is why despite their seemingly generic facade, they contain more depth then a first listen shows them to have.

The second track, “Honey, Please” gives the listener much more of an alt-country feel than the first, starting off with an almost Rascal Flatts-like opening drum and guitar sequence. The Tragically Hip’s issue with most of the tunes on the record is how they sometimes flow together. Most of them eventually lead into a strum section and repeatable chorus that lends them their generic label. “Coffee Girl” is the type of track that tends to label them blandly, with lines like “It’s hard to leave your bed” and “Your favorite mixed tape you popped it into the deck” that give generic a poor reputation. It’s lucky that their band has had years to perfect their sound, or lyrics like this would give them a bad name.

Still, The Hip do know their audience, and songs like “The Exact Feeling” prove this to a tee. Their country style guitar, simple chord structure, tambourine banging, steady drum sound that most bands left behind 10 years ago works for The Hip just fine. They do begin to stretch their sound on the back end of their album. Their lead single “Love is A First” starts with a strong guitar line and a more driven vocal track reminiscent of Ian Curtis, which turns into a Craig Finn-like second verse. While these two vocal styles seem to conflict in theory, it seems to strangely work.

This record will not jump out at you with crunching guitar riffs, memorable chorus lines or expansive drum work. It’s not likely to induce you to grab their tremendous discography or to make news on American standard websites or even American radio stations. What this record does reveal, however, is more than two decades of successful records, a very large following in their native Canada and their resilience in the face of a vastly changing industry. Perhaps they won’t headline a large tour in America anytime soon, but they seem to be doing just fine up north, and that appears to be as hip as they need to be.

The HIP's music is Canadian.

thebends Wrote:The Tragically Hip IS an American band, "playing American music by way of the UK - with a coat of Canadian paint" ... this is close to a recent Downie quote. IMO there is nothing about the Hip's music that is inherently Canadian, other than several scattered lyrical references; but there are American pointers as well. So what makes the HIP so Canadian? Well, they live Canada, they support Canadian charities and artists, and they know the 401 is not a retirement savings plan. But the music, and I'm assuming that's what we're all here for, is American. Your kilometerage may vary.

That' so true; what makes a band "Canadian", other than the fact that they come from here? Nothing, that's what.

Saying their music isn't Canadian is like saying that i'm not a real asshole sometimes, LIES! Go fucking give yourself a good smack upside the head for even thinking, let alone uttering, such complete and utter non-sense.

The Darkest Canuck Wrote:Saying their music isn't Canadian is like saying that i'm not a real asshole sometimes, LIES! Go fucking give yourself a good smack upside the head for even thinking, let alone uttering, such complete and utter non-sense.

So what makes their music "Canadian"? As has been stated earlier, there are some lyrical references but that's about it.

Quote:... the Kingston foursome...

I guess its only four after the the Canadian to American conversion rate.

Escape@Hand Wrote:

The Darkest Canuck Wrote:Saying their music isn't Canadian is like saying that i'm not a real asshole sometimes, LIES! Go fucking give yourself a good smack upside the head for even thinking, let alone uttering, such complete and utter non-sense.

So what makes their music "Canadian"? As has been stated earlier, there are some lyrical references but that's about it.

It looks like Darth Canuck needs a lesson in music history.

My music history knowledge is tight, but it would appear that some of our members need to brush up on their geography...you can't teach common sense though.

Quote:LIES! Go fucking give yourself a good smack upside the head ...

:nooooo OK i tried that and it fixed everything.