[Zoo Lion]

This gets to one of my complaints about the Hip in recent years. I find most of their newer rockers pretty unconvincing. Tunes like "All Tore Up" and "Silver Jet" are decently-written songs, but the studio performances can't hold a candle to the demented ferocity of the earlier stuff. My view is that if Gord isn't willing to rip up his larynx (as he still does on stage, often as not), and the band isn't willing truly to blister their fingers, they should forget about anthemic rockers and just concentrate on the mellower, groovier stuff that they've developed since "Day for Night"---e.g., "Good Life," "Dire Wolf," "Something On," etc.. In fact, I'll never understand why they haven't pursued that wonderfully tough acoustic sound they use to such great effect on songs like "Scared" and "Fiddler's Green."

Anyone else agree? If you're gonna rock, go all out.