In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - Printable Version
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Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - andrew sharpe - 05-10-2016
cochise Wrote:In my own personal opinion, their musical style has changed. There are little hints of that rootsy blues sound that sneaks out once in a while, but all in all, again in own personal opinion, they are a different band. Maybe its just coincidence, but seems like the change slowly began to occur right after Gord's first solo album. But again, just personal opinion, not complaining.
I cannot disagree that the sound has changed considerably and I can't blame people if it's not their thing anymore. You're right, Music At Work and Coke Machine Glow were both right around 2000/2001 and both were big departures from the Fully Completely, Day For Night era, and things haven't been the same since. But what I don't get is why people continue to be frustrated by the lack of resemblance to a sound from fifteen years ago. It's a very common and, in my opinion, overstated sentiment.
If my favourite bar switched to disco, I probably wouldn't keep showing up...I'd find another bar to drink at
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - Moof_Milker - 05-10-2016
Reading this forum, people seem to forget that The Hip sound has always been evolving. DFN is a very different sound compared to FC...and TATH different from DFN. I remember listening to the radio premier of the entire TATH album back in 1996, which included a long interview with Gord Downie. The interviewer asked him about his different singing style on TAHT to which Gord responded that he discovered that when he sang quieter he could hit higher notes. I'm new to this forum, so it's possible that interview is out there (maybe even somewhere in these forums) - definitely worth a listen.
In the end, I don't think it's the sound evolution that frustrates people. Evolution is good, and I bet most/all people on this forum aren't your only-know-the-hits type of Hip fans. They're fans longing for the days when a new Hip release rattled the soul as it hits your ears. Fast, slow, loud, quiet, bluesy, folky, arty...all these can be great. What matters is music that resonates. It seems for a lot of fan here, that hasn't happened quite yet with these first two releases from the album. Hopefully it will when the entire album is released.
If there's music out there laying in wait
To pounce and drain every ounce if you wait or hesitate, yeah
And music that'll help you be tough
And come together on more than Springsteen
Though most days, it's been enough, yeah
Then there's music that can take you away, away, away, away
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - spottrax - 05-11-2016
Good thread with a misleading title! The Hip are one of the only bands I get giddy every single time I hear "New Album to be released.....". I listened to NFPA in it's entirety while mowing the grass over the weekend. DAMN....that is a terrific little album. I can't wait for the MMP to be playing through my rec room speakers. It is SO admirable that the SAME five guys are still involved in making music as the Hip. We are SO lucky. There are so many of my favorite bands out there who are missing principle members or who are stuck making the same record over and over. Barenaked Ladies are a prime example of that. I might take some heat for digging them but yes, I loved those guys back in the late 90's. Them and the Hip were like Canadian, Musical Cousins. BNL without Steve Page might be entertaining (had a relative see them last week in Memphis, said they were great) but they are not the same beloved band. A band who makes it very big does so because of chemistry and a particular mix of musical personalities. Yes, The Hip have evolved. The harder edge of UTH and RA has been replaced by a much more melodic and creative band. The new single is fabulous. I liked the first listen but it was really the third or forth that got me. Kind of the way Nautical Disaster sucked me into the band a couple of decades ago! GD still has something to say lyrically. The band still has riffs and rhythms to provide candy for our ears. No way in the world are the Hip stuck in Mediocrity (and I love the honesty of the original post btw...just not the title). I think NFPA is every bit as good as IVL or MAW. I'm guessing there will some snarly and rockin' stuff on the new album as well as more melodic fair. Bravo to the band for sticking it out and continuing to make new music. Yes, it is their career but it is also a true passion.
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - Moof_Milker - 05-12-2016
Well said, Spottrax!
Funny you mention BNL:
Quote:Them and the Hip were like Canadian, Musical Cousins
I have always felt that The Hip's Apartment Song and the BNL's Old Apartment are related. Two perspectives on the same topic/theme, and both songs came out around the same time. In my mind's eye, I have always seen the same apartment in both songs.
Apartment Song -- <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCSU4cvSNTE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCSU4cvSNTE</a><!-- m -->
Old Apartment -- <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ggJS0p-QQc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ggJS0p-QQc</a><!-- m -->
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - MattPower - 05-12-2016
I for one, tend to be quite critical when it comes to the Hip and sure, I'm an advocate for them bringing back their original sound, but I still don't think this song is "Mediocre." It's a good song. Heck it's a million times better than most of the crap coming out these days.
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - Killer Whale Tank - 05-12-2016
In terms of Moof's point about the newer stuff not 'resonating' like the old stuff, I think there are at least two factors here. One is Downie's shift to writing lyrics that are much more about human connections and friend/love relationships than about his classic themes (things like predation, disaster, punishment, Canadiana, etc.). Of course, he still writes about the latter and always had lyrics about the former, but the emphasis really began to change somewhere around IVL.
The other is the change in Gord's singing style. Listen to 'World Possessed,' when you first hear the vocals, your *immediate* reaction is anxiety that the melody is incoherent, or that he is off-key. Only on further listening does the logic of the song become clear. Or, listen to 'The Lookahead,' and how Gord sort of mumbles or buries the refrain rather than coming down hard on it (i.e., singing 'g'me...the l'kAAAAA-hed' rather than 'give me the LOOK a-HEAD'). The old Gord would have come down hard on the hook. The newer Gord tends to sing in a much less hit-friendly, radio-friendly way, weaving and bobbing more, being more willing to play games with the melodic structure.
So if I had to distill why 'old' Hip 'resonates' more vibrantly with some fans, and use some explanation other than those fans' resistance to musical evolution in general and their longing for power chords, I'd point to those two factors.
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - MattPower - 05-12-2016
Killer Whale Tank Wrote:The other is the change in Gord's singing style. Listen to 'World Possessed,' when you first hear the vocals, your *immediate* reaction is anxiety that the melody is incoherent, or that he is off-key. Only on further listening does the logic of the song become clear. Or, listen to 'The Lookahead,' and how Gord sort of mumbles or buries the refrain rather than coming down hard on it (i.e., singing 'g'me...the l'kAAAAA-hed' rather than 'give me the LOOK a-HEAD'). The old Gord would have come down hard on the hook. The newer Gord tends to sing in a much less hit-friendly, radio-friendly way, weaving and bobbing more, being more willing to play games with the melodic structure.
So if I had to distill why 'old' Hip 'resonates' more vibrantly with some fans, and use some explanation other than those fans' resistance to musical evolution in general and their longing for power chords, I'd point to those two factors.
THIS.
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - direwolf74 - 05-12-2016
MattPower Wrote:Killer Whale Tank Wrote:The other is the change in Gord's singing style. Listen to 'World Possessed,' when you first hear the vocals, your *immediate* reaction is anxiety that the melody is incoherent, or that he is off-key. Only on further listening does the logic of the song become clear. Or, listen to 'The Lookahead,' and how Gord sort of mumbles or buries the refrain rather than coming down hard on it (i.e., singing 'g'me...the l'kAAAAA-hed' rather than 'give me the LOOK a-HEAD'). The old Gord would have come down hard on the hook. The newer Gord tends to sing in a much less hit-friendly, radio-friendly way, weaving and bobbing more, being more willing to play games with the melodic structure.
So if I had to distill why 'old' Hip 'resonates' more vibrantly with some fans, and use some explanation other than those fans' resistance to musical evolution in general and their longing for power chords, I'd point to those two factors.
THIS.
Yup. Excellent post.
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - cochise - 05-12-2016
direwolf74 Wrote:MattPower Wrote:Killer Whale Tank Wrote:The other is the change in Gord's singing style. Listen to 'World Possessed,' when you first hear the vocals, your *immediate* reaction is anxiety that the melody is incoherent, or that he is off-key. Only on further listening does the logic of the song become clear. Or, listen to 'The Lookahead,' and how Gord sort of mumbles or buries the refrain rather than coming down hard on it (i.e., singing 'g'me...the l'kAAAAA-hed' rather than 'give me the LOOK a-HEAD'). The old Gord would have come down hard on the hook. The newer Gord tends to sing in a much less hit-friendly, radio-friendly way, weaving and bobbing more, being more willing to play games with the melodic structure.
So if I had to distill why 'old' Hip 'resonates' more vibrantly with some fans, and use some explanation other than those fans' resistance to musical evolution in general and their longing for power chords, I'd point to those two factors.
THIS.
Yup. Excellent post.
I'll third that
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - fingernailsonhull - 05-16-2016
Killer Whale Tank Wrote:The other is the change in Gord's singing style. Listen to 'World Possessed,' when you first hear the vocals, your *immediate* reaction is anxiety that the melody is incoherent, or that he is off-key. Only on further listening does the logic of the song become clear. Or, listen to 'The Lookahead,' and how Gord sort of mumbles or buries the refrain rather than coming down hard on it (i.e., singing 'g'me...the l'kAAAAA-hed' rather than 'give me the LOOK a-HEAD'). The old Gord would have come down hard on the hook. The newer Gord tends to sing in a much less hit-friendly, radio-friendly way, weaving and bobbing more, being more willing to play games with the melodic structure.
So if I had to distill why 'old' Hip 'resonates' more vibrantly with some fans, and use some explanation other than those fans' resistance to musical evolution in general and their longing for power chords, I'd point to those two factors.
Well said. Very perceptive.
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - Killer Whale Tank - 05-16-2016
Well, thanks, boys. I'm glad my little ruminations had some value. I sometimes post over at 'Expecting Rain' (the massive Dylan fan-site) and generally get ignored by all the old standbys there. I like this better... :thumb:
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - cochise - 05-25-2016
Feel like a bit of an asshat for the whining I was doing on this thread about not connecting with the new Hip material like I had with the past material. Now that it is coming to a close, I realize how lucky I have been to be alive in the same era as Gord and The Hip. I'll never be able to express my gratitude for all they have given us.
It is true, you don't know what you have until its (almost) gone.
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - direwolf74 - 05-25-2016
cochise Wrote:Feel like a bit of an asshat for the whining I was doing on this thread about not connecting with the new Hip material like I had with the past material. Now that it is coming to a close, I realize how lucky I have been to be alive in the same era as Gord and The Hip. I'll never be able to express my gratitude for all they have given us.
It is true, you don't know what you have until its (almost) gone.
I hear ya. I was doing a bit of whining myself in another thread about how long it was taking them to release the album. Of course none of us knew what was really going on at the time, so there's no sense in us feeling like asshats. Let's just continue to love and celebrate Gord and the band while he's still here. Throw on some Hip and crank it up loud.
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - HandsInTheRiver41 - 05-27-2016
I just want to add my voice to the chorus of those who are quite impressed by this single! I think the OP really touched on some of what I like about this song in the first post "there's no chorus" and "there are changes in the music but no hook". For me, I'm really excited by the atmosphere of the song, interesting melodic lines, and as usual with Gord - the lyrics. This is, by Hip standards, somewhat experimental. I'm interested in hearing how the band deviates from their cookie-cutter songs. I know they can write songs with big choruses and big hooks, but that gets boring after awhile. I'm interested in hearing the band try new things, especially new things that aren't In View. I'm hoping that having Kevin Drew in the studio with the band really helped them push the boundaries of what they were comfortable with, experimenting with song and melody, like they did on M@W. Mind, you, I'm one who loves Downie's solo output, with Yellow Days being one of my favourite of his songs in the last 10 years, so I understand if not everyone shares this perspective.
Re: In A World Possessed By Mediocrity - carebread - 05-27-2016
It's no secret that my favourite Hip songs are more bluesy-rock, and the last 3 or 4 albums are hit-and-miss for me - either I'll love a song or completely hate it. That being said, I hated this single when I first heard it. I'd been warming up to it in the past couple of weeks as it seemed to get a bit more airplay. The lack of hook still is bothersome to me, but I'm feeling a bit more grateful for what we have now.