10-18-2016, 11:01 AM
Is this not available on Spotify/Apple music? I was looking forward to today, but now I'm SOL it seems. I guess I need to try driving all over the place trying to find a record.
10-18-2016, 11:01 AM
10-18-2016, 11:40 AM
paulster2626 Wrote:Is this not available on Spotify/Apple music? I was looking forward to today, but now I'm SOL it seems. I guess I need to try driving all over the place trying to find a record.
The book comes with a digital download code for it. Chapters has it for $20 right now and at least my location has literally hundreds in stock.
10-18-2016, 11:50 AM
Naga Wrote:paulster2626 Wrote:Is this not available on Spotify/Apple music? I was looking forward to today, but now I'm SOL it seems. I guess I need to try driving all over the place trying to find a record.
The book comes with a digital download code for it. Chapters has it for $20 right now and at least my location has literally hundreds in stock.
You're not gonna believe this, but I haven't had a computer since 2014 when my Macbook died. I've been able to solely use my phone for music, and the work laptop for internet-related things. A download code does nothing for me. Gordo needs to get with the times.
I'll eventually get the record and the book that comes with it, but it's gonna be tough plugging the turntable in to my car stereo.
10-18-2016, 11:51 AM
Just purchased the vinyl off Indigo. Free shipping (Canada) at the moment and delivery by Oct 21 if you order today. Hopefully arrives a bit earlier so I can get a handle of the songs before the show Friday night. First record I've bought in a while without hearing it in advance. Bound to be great though.
10-18-2016, 12:10 PM
WheatkingPoet Wrote:Just purchased the vinyl off Indigo. Free shipping (Canada) at the moment and delivery by Oct 21 if you order today. Hopefully arrives a bit earlier so I can get a handle of the songs before the show Friday night. First record I've bought in a while without hearing it in advance. Bound to be great though.
Website says my local store has 4 in stock, so I'll swing by shortly. Hopefully it was meant to be.
10-18-2016, 12:44 PM
I bought this from Amazon... I assumed it was book + download of the album. Just got an email from Amazon saying that they weren't able to meet the delivery date (today) that they said they were going to do.
Anyone have any thoughts? I can't seem to find out how to do the download.
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Anyone have any thoughts? I can't seem to find out how to do the download.
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10-18-2016, 12:57 PM
Gibie Wrote:I bought this from Amazon... I assumed it was book + download of the album. Just got an email from Amazon saying that they weren't able to meet the delivery date (today) that they said they were going to do.
Anyone have any thoughts? I can't seem to find out how to do the download.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1501155946/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/150115 ... UTF8&psc=1</a><!-- m -->
There are instructions and a download code at the back of the book, so unfortunately you won't be able to get the music until your book is delivered...unless of course it becomes available through other formats (iTunes, etc..)
10-18-2016, 01:08 PM
direwolf74 Wrote:Gibie Wrote:I bought this from Amazon... I assumed it was book + download of the album. Just got an email from Amazon saying that they weren't able to meet the delivery date (today) that they said they were going to do.
Anyone have any thoughts? I can't seem to find out how to do the download.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1501155946/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/150115 ... UTF8&psc=1</a><!-- m -->
There are instructions and a download code at the back of the book, so unfortunately you won't be able to get the music until your book is delivered...unless of course it becomes available through other formats (iTunes, etc..)
Gah! Thanks for the info. Damn Amazon! :censored
10-18-2016, 01:13 PM
paulster2626 Wrote:Naga Wrote:paulster2626 Wrote:Is this not available on Spotify/Apple music? I was looking forward to today, but now I'm SOL it seems. I guess I need to try driving all over the place trying to find a record.
The book comes with a digital download code for it. Chapters has it for $20 right now and at least my location has literally hundreds in stock.
You're not gonna believe this, but I haven't had a computer since 2014 when my Macbook died. I've been able to solely use my phone for music, and the work laptop for internet-related things. A download code does nothing for me. Gordo needs to get with the times.
I'll eventually get the record and the book that comes with it, but it's gonna be tough plugging the turntable in to my car stereo.
You're not the only one, I know several people who don't have a computer anymore. If you change your mind, I heard that you can get the zip file from the d/l code using the Chrome Browser on your phone.
10-18-2016, 01:16 PM
Tomacco Wrote:With all the hyping of this album, I can't believe how hard it is to purchase and listen to the damn thing. They should be offering it in all kinds of downloadable formats, and donating the proceeds. Amazon is out of stock on vinyls, and the official page charges 30 bucks for shipping, on top of the 52 buck price tag. I can't afford that.
I don't know where you live, but I paid $17.55 Canadian to have it shipped to me in the US (from the official Secret Path page). I am surprised he didn't at least do a book/CD version.
10-18-2016, 01:16 PM
sherpahigh Wrote:What a god damn package, Gord. Pretty rough listening that also somehow soothes. I don't know what to say about all of this but it's incredibly beautiful and well presented and I really hope it helps bring more awareness t all of this. Really helps me put my shitty day into perspective. Thank you, Gord. ❤️
totally agree
10-18-2016, 02:02 PM
Has anyone bought the package from MapleMusic today? Did you immediately receive the download code? Thanks
10-18-2016, 02:13 PM
Listening to the album right now and it's beautiful. Secret Path (the song) is absolutely stunning. Might be the best vocal performance I've ever heard from Gord in the studio. The story is very heartbreaking, and I was half expecting a depressing/minor-key sounding album. But some of these songs are actually quite catchy despite the subject matter. Very impressive album so far.
10-18-2016, 06:17 PM
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The Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie has kept the music for his Secret Path project under wraps for three years.
Released on Tuesday, the album is part of a package, along with a graphic novel and animated film, that tells the story of Chanie (Charlie) Wenjack, a 12-year-old indigenous boy who ran away from residential school in Kenora 50 years ago this month. He was trying to get home to his family in Ogoki Post, almost 1,000 km away. His body was found by railroad tracks about 60 km from Kenora.
After many fans thought they'd never hear again from Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie, who faces terminal brain cancer, the musican is preparing to release a new solo album, shown here in this handout image, along with a graphic novel and an animated film about the tragedy of Canada's residential school system.
Gord Downie releases a new solo album, the music from which will be played at a special concert Tuesday night at the NAC. HO / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Downie has also assembled a band to play the music from Secret Path in two concerts this week, starting Tuesday night at the National Arts Centre. The second show takes place Oct. 21 at Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall.
Montreal musician Dave Hamelin, formerly of the Stills, is one person who’s been waiting patiently for the release of the album. He and his studio partner, Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew, co-produced the album and are part of the all-star band accompanying Downie on stage this week (Barenaked Ladies’ Kevin Hearn, Skydiggers’ Josh Finlayson and Charles Spearin, of Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene, round out the lineup). Hamelin and Drew also co-produced the Hip’s latest outing, Man Machine Poem.
“Me and Kevin have been making a lot of records together and (Secret Path) is the one that happened the quickest and became our favourite,” Hamelin said in an interview, noting that Downie always intended for it to come out this month to mark the anniversary of Wenjack’s death. “It’s just very different from anybody else that we’ve worked with. It was an awesome experience.”
Part of the reason was the spontaneity of it. Although Downie had the songs ready when he arrived at the Hip’s Bathouse studio, he was determined not to belabour the process. According to Hamelin, the motto during production was, “You think, you stink.”
“What he was trying to say is it’s important to not second guess yourself, and if you start thinking about something, you block that initial artistic spark,” said Hamelin. “He wanted to make it really quickly, and me and Kevin are also into that. A lot of the stuff on the record is first takes.
“There wasn’t a lot of discussing anything. Not a lot of pondering or ruminating. He really wasn’t precious about anything, and I think that’s because he trusted that we would put it together the way he wanted it to be put together. It’s rare to have that kind of a relationship when you’re working with someone. He was totally open to whatever we wanted to do.”
In Downie’s eyes, it was an advantage that Hamelin hadn’t spent a lot of time listening to Hip records. Before they went into the studio with the Hip, following the recording of Secret Path, Hamelin intended to do some homework. “I was going to go back and start listening to the Hip, and really start digging in, and Gord was like, ‘No, please don’t do that. I need you fresh.’”
With plenty of synthesizers and piano, the music on Secret Path has a cinematic feel that separates it from most of the Hip material. Its power is understated, drawing listeners into the final days of Wenjack’s life in a series of meditative songs. The chill of loneliness marks the first single, The Stranger, while Seven Matches finds Downie singing in the vulnerable voice of Wenjack, pinning his hopes on a slim jar of matches. Further along, Swing Set locks on a propulsive groove, and I Will Not Be Struck has a fluid, dreamlike vocal over a crisp rhythmic base. You can almost feel the freezing rain in Secret Path, the snow in Don’t Let This Touch You and the sense of finality in The Only Place To Be, as electronic flourishes round out the haunting melodies. In one song, geese can be heard flying overhead, signalling the change of seasons.
The deluxe edition of the book/album package includes the music on 180-gram vinyl, matched with an 88-page book of illustrations, including the lyrics to each song, and a separate series of posters that feature Downie’s handwritten lyrics on the back. The artwork, by Canadian cartoonist Jeff Lemire, is cast in grey, blue and black, capturing the bleak Northern Ontario landscape.
In the years since it was recorded, Secret Path has become an important legacy project for Downie. Canadians learned this summer that the singer was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable form of brain cancer, in December 2015. The disease has been managed well enough that Downie was able to tour with the Hip over the summer, including a final homecoming show in Kingston, broadcast live across the country.
During that concert, Downie issued a call to action to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in the audience, to “fix” Canada’s relationship with indigenous peoples. “It’s going to take us 100 years to figure out what the hell went on up there, but it isn’t cool and everybody knows that. It’s really, really bad, but we’re going to figure it out, you’re going to figure it out,” Downie said on stage.
Then, in last week’s interview with the CBC, the only interview Downie has done since his diagnosis, the 52-year-old showed he’s well aware that his position helps shed light on the injustice of the residential school system. Downie has also founded the Gord Downie-Chanie Wenjack Fund, dedicated to forging a better relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians.
“We are hoping to bridge the gap, ultimately, between us and them,” Downie told the CBC. “The weird thing is I think everybody in this country cares about this. That’s not me being prophetic. I think it’s true. I think it bugs everybody a little bit deep inside. Why can’t we do anything? Because it’s really frigging big and huge and impossible to imagine. But it could be just such a first great attempt from us.”
The Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie has kept the music for his Secret Path project under wraps for three years.
Released on Tuesday, the album is part of a package, along with a graphic novel and animated film, that tells the story of Chanie (Charlie) Wenjack, a 12-year-old indigenous boy who ran away from residential school in Kenora 50 years ago this month. He was trying to get home to his family in Ogoki Post, almost 1,000 km away. His body was found by railroad tracks about 60 km from Kenora.
After many fans thought they'd never hear again from Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie, who faces terminal brain cancer, the musican is preparing to release a new solo album, shown here in this handout image, along with a graphic novel and an animated film about the tragedy of Canada's residential school system.
Gord Downie releases a new solo album, the music from which will be played at a special concert Tuesday night at the NAC. HO / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Downie has also assembled a band to play the music from Secret Path in two concerts this week, starting Tuesday night at the National Arts Centre. The second show takes place Oct. 21 at Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall.
Montreal musician Dave Hamelin, formerly of the Stills, is one person who’s been waiting patiently for the release of the album. He and his studio partner, Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew, co-produced the album and are part of the all-star band accompanying Downie on stage this week (Barenaked Ladies’ Kevin Hearn, Skydiggers’ Josh Finlayson and Charles Spearin, of Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene, round out the lineup). Hamelin and Drew also co-produced the Hip’s latest outing, Man Machine Poem.
“Me and Kevin have been making a lot of records together and (Secret Path) is the one that happened the quickest and became our favourite,” Hamelin said in an interview, noting that Downie always intended for it to come out this month to mark the anniversary of Wenjack’s death. “It’s just very different from anybody else that we’ve worked with. It was an awesome experience.”
Part of the reason was the spontaneity of it. Although Downie had the songs ready when he arrived at the Hip’s Bathouse studio, he was determined not to belabour the process. According to Hamelin, the motto during production was, “You think, you stink.”
“What he was trying to say is it’s important to not second guess yourself, and if you start thinking about something, you block that initial artistic spark,” said Hamelin. “He wanted to make it really quickly, and me and Kevin are also into that. A lot of the stuff on the record is first takes.
“There wasn’t a lot of discussing anything. Not a lot of pondering or ruminating. He really wasn’t precious about anything, and I think that’s because he trusted that we would put it together the way he wanted it to be put together. It’s rare to have that kind of a relationship when you’re working with someone. He was totally open to whatever we wanted to do.”
In Downie’s eyes, it was an advantage that Hamelin hadn’t spent a lot of time listening to Hip records. Before they went into the studio with the Hip, following the recording of Secret Path, Hamelin intended to do some homework. “I was going to go back and start listening to the Hip, and really start digging in, and Gord was like, ‘No, please don’t do that. I need you fresh.’”
With plenty of synthesizers and piano, the music on Secret Path has a cinematic feel that separates it from most of the Hip material. Its power is understated, drawing listeners into the final days of Wenjack’s life in a series of meditative songs. The chill of loneliness marks the first single, The Stranger, while Seven Matches finds Downie singing in the vulnerable voice of Wenjack, pinning his hopes on a slim jar of matches. Further along, Swing Set locks on a propulsive groove, and I Will Not Be Struck has a fluid, dreamlike vocal over a crisp rhythmic base. You can almost feel the freezing rain in Secret Path, the snow in Don’t Let This Touch You and the sense of finality in The Only Place To Be, as electronic flourishes round out the haunting melodies. In one song, geese can be heard flying overhead, signalling the change of seasons.
The deluxe edition of the book/album package includes the music on 180-gram vinyl, matched with an 88-page book of illustrations, including the lyrics to each song, and a separate series of posters that feature Downie’s handwritten lyrics on the back. The artwork, by Canadian cartoonist Jeff Lemire, is cast in grey, blue and black, capturing the bleak Northern Ontario landscape.
In the years since it was recorded, Secret Path has become an important legacy project for Downie. Canadians learned this summer that the singer was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable form of brain cancer, in December 2015. The disease has been managed well enough that Downie was able to tour with the Hip over the summer, including a final homecoming show in Kingston, broadcast live across the country.
During that concert, Downie issued a call to action to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in the audience, to “fix” Canada’s relationship with indigenous peoples. “It’s going to take us 100 years to figure out what the hell went on up there, but it isn’t cool and everybody knows that. It’s really, really bad, but we’re going to figure it out, you’re going to figure it out,” Downie said on stage.
Then, in last week’s interview with the CBC, the only interview Downie has done since his diagnosis, the 52-year-old showed he’s well aware that his position helps shed light on the injustice of the residential school system. Downie has also founded the Gord Downie-Chanie Wenjack Fund, dedicated to forging a better relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians.
“We are hoping to bridge the gap, ultimately, between us and them,” Downie told the CBC. “The weird thing is I think everybody in this country cares about this. That’s not me being prophetic. I think it’s true. I think it bugs everybody a little bit deep inside. Why can’t we do anything? Because it’s really frigging big and huge and impossible to imagine. But it could be just such a first great attempt from us.”
10-18-2016, 07:12 PM
Great review from Darryl Sterdan.
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