06-19-2016, 09:47 PM
'In Sarnia' is a terrific little song, as a song. Gord's vocal decisions on that cut are questionable, though - he should have focused on respecting the melody rather than over-emoting. Those questionable decisions are then made worse by the horribly exaggerated reverb treatment. I regard this as a 'lost track,' a cut that could have become an absolute fan favourite marred by studio errors. It's too bad.
I remain totally unimpressed by Hot Mic and Great Soul, however.
Enough negativity. Can I just say how much I'm loving 'Machine'? The chorus is killer, obviously - so damned cool - but I like the song's overall dynamics, the relaxed verses, the up-an-octave pre-chorus, the dramatic lurch to the exciting chorus. And in terms of singing and production, it's the polar opposite of 'In Sarnia:' every decision is right. Gord gets right out of his own way, signing beautifully, the band cooks, the hand-claps are the icing on the cake. The coda draws out a bit too long, but I love the sound of the machine powering down at the very end. No doubt just a cute touch at the time, it seems incredibly poignant as the conclusion to what may be the final Hip record.
I think 'Here in the Dark' will be one of those songs that is lost on a lot of people, maybe because of the 'lyric cramming' and some perverse singing-against-the-hooks by Gord, but to me it's catchy as hell. Some ambitious young band should cover that, they might have a hit.
'Tired as F**k' is a real grower, isn't it? I like that one more every time I hear it. My guess is that the went with that as a single over obvious winners like 'What Blue' and 'Machine' because it captured what Gord ended up going through. Bad single, but a strong song.
Like most of you, I'm enjoying the record more with each listen...but I don't agree with anyone who sees it as a radical departure in terms of composition, relative to 'Plan A' which was itself a strong album, like this one relatively low on the Canadiana and focused mainly on the internal realm and relationships. The novelty seems to me primarily rooted in the production.
I remain totally unimpressed by Hot Mic and Great Soul, however.
Enough negativity. Can I just say how much I'm loving 'Machine'? The chorus is killer, obviously - so damned cool - but I like the song's overall dynamics, the relaxed verses, the up-an-octave pre-chorus, the dramatic lurch to the exciting chorus. And in terms of singing and production, it's the polar opposite of 'In Sarnia:' every decision is right. Gord gets right out of his own way, signing beautifully, the band cooks, the hand-claps are the icing on the cake. The coda draws out a bit too long, but I love the sound of the machine powering down at the very end. No doubt just a cute touch at the time, it seems incredibly poignant as the conclusion to what may be the final Hip record.
I think 'Here in the Dark' will be one of those songs that is lost on a lot of people, maybe because of the 'lyric cramming' and some perverse singing-against-the-hooks by Gord, but to me it's catchy as hell. Some ambitious young band should cover that, they might have a hit.
'Tired as F**k' is a real grower, isn't it? I like that one more every time I hear it. My guess is that the went with that as a single over obvious winners like 'What Blue' and 'Machine' because it captured what Gord ended up going through. Bad single, but a strong song.
Like most of you, I'm enjoying the record more with each listen...but I don't agree with anyone who sees it as a radical departure in terms of composition, relative to 'Plan A' which was itself a strong album, like this one relatively low on the Canadiana and focused mainly on the internal realm and relationships. The novelty seems to me primarily rooted in the production.