[Killer Whale Tank]

Great analysis of AT indeed. My only addendum would be that perhaps the 'glittering chance at transformation' is the illness itself. The song is full of helplessness and regret at, basically, being an inadequate asshole before the illness struck. Maybe the song is about that realization and that, if she comes through it, he/they/everything will be different. So the game going quiet, etc., is the revelation that this disaster could become a transformative moment - to be kind, a better person, the goods, etc..

If so, then there is hope at the heart of the song.

On another note, the lyrics to GA are anything but tongue in cheek. That is a cold-assed account of Canadian colonialism, no quarter given.

[Moof_Milker]

At Transformation is the best song on NFPA, and the only time after 2000 that the Hip got the lead single right.

I often pondered their choice of first single, so let's have a look at their post-2000 (post-M@W) first single choices:

IVL = IAGLIYDW (Definitely a change of pace from the usual rocker-as-first single up to this point. If a lead-off single is chosen to make the most impact commercially, I think this is a good choice. What are the alternatives here? Silver Jet as the rocker? I think they got this one right.)
IBE = Vaccination Scar (Back to the classic rocker. Seems like an obvious choice. Perhaps Gus would have worked too?)
WC = In View (The Hip goes pop! Arguably their biggest post-90s single, so I guess we can't argue here. Lots of potential singles here though -- I think Lonely End of the Rink would have worked well as a lead-off single for sure.)
WATS = Love is a First (Hmm. This one seems engineered to be a single. I think Coffee Girl would have been an interesting first single. Morning Moon as well. I doubt either would have gotten the radio play that LIAF got though.)
NFPA = At Transformation (My first impression was that this sounded like Vaccination Scar 2.0. I would have gone with We Want to Be It, or Goodnight Attawapiskat instead -- each offered something fresh to the Hip sound. I think both of those had the potential to really resonate with a broader audience. But it's looking like At Transformation might win the weakest link poll -- making it the first lead-off single to do so in these polls since ABAC from PP - the only other occurrence was Locked which won the poll and was the first single released from FC. Oh, and according to Wikipedia, Streets Ahead was released as the second single from NFPA. WTF? That's a shit choice if you ask me.)

Barclay states in his book that Laura Usher's cancer diagnosis came in August 2011, which is two months AFTER the Hip debuted At Transformation in Peterborough that summer (and played it again 4 days later in the Bobcaygeon doc). I can't refute his dating of the diagnosis, but man, how could this song not be about him fumbling with his feelings around Laura's cancer?

Agreed. I always assumed At Transformation and We Want to Be It were both about that. Eerily prophetic if you ask me. Side note: I was at that Peterborough show - it was definitely exciting to be the first to ever hear some of those new track. We Want to Be It seemed like an instant classic upon that first listen. That track alone got me super-excited for the new album, which was still over a year away from being released. Also at the time, I didn't realize that that Peterborough show was their first time playing together in front of an audience is some time - according their website the first show since Dec 9, 2009. They spent the week rehearsing in Peterborough (near my house) so I made sure to snoop around the back of the little theatre listening to them practice. I felt like a big of a stalker sitting on the back steps of the theatre listening, but fuck it...in hindsight I'm so glad I did.

[Killer Whale Tank]

When it comes to singles, bands that have been around a long time generally make the mistake of releasing songs that they think conform most closely to long-established expectations. The reason this is a problem is that - especially if the band has evolved beyond its original formula - it yields diminishing returns. 'Vaccination Scar' is a fine track but stands no comparison with the excitement of classic Hip rockers like NOIS; the result is, typically, a single that does OK but generates no buzz around the album. AT had the same effect.

Elvis Costello used to complain about record companies doing that with his songs, too - releasing 'safe' tracks that sounded as close to his early formula as possible. His position was that they should be releasing the most exciting or interesting track on a record, regardless of whether it sounds 'familiar.' I tend to agree.

[edgoffin]

Interesting take on AT lyrics. I'd always generally understand most of the album to be about cancer, support, and recovery, but there were always lines that nagged at that. Where I thought raining venom and drip, drip, drip were alluding to chemo and IV, now I think it's an argument and corrosion.

So for AT, my cynical interpretation:

verse 1 is the morning after a fight (raining venom). The next morning, I want to be kind versus brutal, or conciliatory (more important that importance)

Chorus -- I want to be here for you, but we're at a point that I'm indifferent and I can't even feel the pain of the situation, the time has passed. I wonder if the line "To the dream of being here comes the night" -- which feels a bit clunky -- is a reference to Van Morrison "Here Comes the Night" (check out those lyrics for parallels that fit my interpretation of the song)

Verse 2. In the relationship there had been light, now there's shadow and darkness, we've ignored reality (tip toeing past our most feared buildings), hindsight is a real bitch (I only say this now...)

Verse 3: I like the hockey allusion, the game goes quiet (there's an opportunity for reconciliation -- a glittering chance -- though the crowd is against them), but then with a subtle word shift by adding the word "but" in the repeated phrase he did not move on the opportunity.

At transformation -- we could turn this around

That's my dream of being -- regret

....all that to say, likely the best mark of a songwriter is that at times the listener can make the words fit their situation.

Voting has come down to the top three of this album IMO, and if I was putting together a career encompassing "best of" at least two of these tracks would be one it. Not bad for an album that has possibly been passed over for many fans.

[potsie]

At Transformation is the best song on NFPA, and the only time after 2000 that the Hip got the lead single right.

I often pondered their choice of first single, so let's have a look at their post-2000 (post-M@W) first single choices:

IVL = IAGLIYDW (Definitely a change of pace from the usual rocker-as-first single up to this point. If a lead-off single is chosen to make the most impact commercially, I think this is a good choice. What are the alternatives here? Silver Jet as the rocker? I think they got this one right.)
IBE = Vaccination Scar (Back to the classic rocker. Seems like an obvious choice. Perhaps Gus would have worked too?)
WC = In View (The Hip goes pop! Arguably their biggest post-90s single, so I guess we can't argue here. Lots of potential singles here though -- I think Lonely End of the Rink would have worked well as a lead-off single for sure.)
WATS = Love is a First (Hmm. This one seems engineered to be a single. I think Coffee Girl would have been an interesting first single. Morning Moon as well. I doubt either would have gotten the radio play that LIAF got though.)
NFPA = At Transformation (My first impression was that this sounded like Vaccination Scar 2.0. I would have gone with We Want to Be It, or Goodnight Attawapiskat instead -- each offered something fresh to the Hip sound. I think both of those had the potential to really resonate with a broader audience. But it's looking like At Transformation might win the weakest link poll -- making it the first lead-off single to do so in these polls since ABAC from PP - the only other occurrence was Locked which won the poll and was the first single released from FC. Oh, and according to Wikipedia, Streets Ahead was released as the second single from NFPA. WTF? That's a shit choice if you ask me.)

As KWT has pointed out, there is a balance to be made between the "safe" choice and the most "interesting" choice; safe often being synonymous with the song having the most commercial potential. Here's what I think the band should have done post-2000:

IVL - I would have gone with The Dire Wolf as the first single and slotted it in the lead off spot on the album as well. It's both the best song and the most exciting on that album and I think it had commercial potential. IAGLIYDW is certainly a great song and would have made a much better second single than Silver Jet.

WC - LOETR would have been my first choice. The ska-inflected dance beat was new and interesting for the band. I would have put Family Band as the second single and In View third (knowing that this would make an impact, just as sales were flagging - it would have given the record some legs at radio).

WATS - Morning Moon here. I believe this would have gotten more airplay than Love is a First, for the simple reason that it could have been a cross-over hit like ABAC (albeit on a smaller scale). There might have been room for it on rock radio, alternative, adult contemporary, and possible some country stations.

NFPA - AT is the safest song, but it's also the best song on there. Most interesting? Maybe not, but it's close. I think it's an obvious lead single choice.

Machine - This one checks all the boxes from both a record company and fan perspective: Safe... yes! Interesting... yes! Exciting... yes! Commercial potential... yes!

[ryan93]

I voted GA, but all 3 are solid choices. Looks like it could be a close final between GA and AT if this round is any indication.

[Killer Whale Tank]

On the interesting question of singles, I always found it slightly alarming that the terrible 'Save the Planet' was being seriously considered as lead-off single from Phantom Power. hock: Thank God they thought better of it.

M@W was the obvious right choice; after that, there really are no songs on that album that suggest themselves as likely singles. I suppose 'Lake Fever' was a reasonable choice, although part of me wishes they'd tried 'Tiger the Lion,' not because I'm crazy about that song - which I'm not - but just to see if they could shake up expectations and rattle the radio.

IVL: ''Good Life" was an excellent choice. It's "The Darkest One" that I object to as a single, precisely because it's a safe choice, an OK song that aligns with pre-existing expectations but lacks the visceral power of the songs that created those expectations in the first place. A case study in the diminishing returns yielded by being conservative in choice of singles. "Silver Jet" is another example of the same problem. They should have had the courage of their convictions and made "Dire Wolf" the second single. It was both the best song on the album and a long-shot for a crossover hit.

IBE: "Scar" is yet another case of playing it too safe, releasing a quintessential "album" cut as a single just because it seemed to fit the well-worn template. "Gus" is a better song and would have captured expectations just as well. I'd have loved to see that followed up by "Makeshift," but "Gus" is the only obvious single on that stunner of a record.

WC: Kudos to the band for stepping outside the box with "In View" as a single. Sadly the song is sonic mush, and counts as "too little too late" in terms of shifting perceptions of them - heavily influenced by their choices for earlier singles - of the Hip as a conservative, uninteresting band. "Rink" would have been the right follow-up, returning to the fans' comfort zone while also pushing established boundaries.

WATS: "First" is an almost cynical choice of single, so obviously engineered to play to nostalgia for the old kick-ass Hip. Baker's demented guitar solo subverts the commercial potential of this mediocre song, sabotaging the goal. "Morning Moon" would have been a smarter choice. And personally, I'd have LOVED to hear them release "Coffee Girl." Might have attracted a different, perhaps younger audience with that one.

NFPA: AT and Lookahead were solid choices. I wish GA had been released - it's an important song, even if it is too spiky to be a likely hit.

MMP: TAF was chosen for obvious reasons, but it's the furthest thing from a likely hit. IAWPBTHM is a nice bright mid-tempo track, an attractive appetizer that needed to be followed-up by something killer: and everyone can see that "Machine" should have been that release.