IBE write-up from FutureShop's Future Flash email - Printable Version
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IBE write-up from FutureShop's Future Flash email - chris - 07-01-2004
Taken from this weeks Future Flash email:
In Between Evolution
by Cheryl Rossi
Copyright © 2004 Future Shop
Just in time to provide the perfect soundtrack for Canada Day, "In Between Evolution", the eleventh album from quintessential Canuck rockers, The Tragically Hip, hits stores June 29th.
A band that always satisfies with their dementedly brilliant live shows (as showcased on their live CD, Music @ Work), The Hip wisely let audience response to their new songs guide the polishing process. "We didn't belabour the songs too much. We got them down in rehearsal, then went out and played them live. We got them succinct. When you take new songs and play them in front of a crowd, that's the last necessary stage to figure out what they need or don't need", said Gordon Downie, the guy with the distinctive pipes.
In order to shine, the album required few touch-ups, and producer Adam Kasper (Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age) kept them to a minimum. As a result, "In Between Evolution" perfectly showcases the gritty, raw and singular sound of the five childhood friends who've been rockin' out together since they formed the band in Kingston, Ontario in 1983. The band members liken this album to Road Apples, their 1991 release that made The Tragically Hip a household name.
The difference is that The Hip's new songs take a broader worldview. Although it's never explicitly stated, the war in Iraq was obviously on Downie's mind when he penned the pensive lyrics. He says the upbeat album opener, "Heaven is a Better Place Today", which The Hip dedicated to Dan Snyder, a hockey player with the Atlanta Thrashers who died at the age of 25, is "also about guys that age going off to fight [in a war]".
"Are We Family", with its beautifully underdone composition plays in contrast to Sister Sledge's '70s soul anthem "We Are Family". "Are we family, or not", ponders Downie, "taking care of each other, one bullet to another". This is not to say "In Between Evolution" isn't a suitable beer-drinking backdrop, it's just the themes, if one pays attention, are also suitable for quiet reflection.
With Downie's wavering voice, thoughtful lyrics, frenetic stage presence, and the group's ever-dueling guitars, The Tragically Hip have won a loyal following as well as critical acclaim. Neither is likely to abate with "In Between Evolution", another testament to their successful marriage of unencumbered rock and probing thoughts.
- thedarkcanuck - 07-01-2004
live album music @ work???
- chris - 07-01-2004
Ha Ha Ha. I missed that when I first read this.