[skippy the wonder dog]

A friend told me that she didn't really like the Hip because all their songs sound the same to her - like Nickleback.

This accusation is normally made by people whose knowledge of the music is limited to a few well-known singles off their first three albums.

To all this chatter about Bob Rock saving the day, being fresh blood and all ... does anyone actually think the Hip are stuck in a rut? M@W is not IVL, IVL is not IBE ... not by a long shot.

Maybe Bob Rock will produce a great album for them and they'll see fantastic sales, but the reason their sales have flagged is not that they're stuck in anything resembling a rut. Not even a shallow groove ... could anyone here chart the creative course that led from Tiger the Lion through Stay to Summer's Killing Us?

I can see three big reasons their sales have flagged. First, that many people know them from the aforementioned few big singles from their early albums, and write them off as yesterday's sound; second, that they are an established band rather than the new, hip thing; third, that they have refused to keep cranking a formula (despite strange reviews saying they do, based on the fact they still "sing about hockey").

Of those things, only the third has anything to do with the music itself. And the refusal to crank a formula is a good thing.