potsie Wrote:Even though I now enjoy NFPA more than I originally did (my first impression was that it felt like a tired album), I feel the band was on a slide from WC to WATS to NFPA. That downward sprial was finally reversed with the MMP album.
For me there was a slight downward spiral that started with IBE. It's my least favorite Hip album. I know a lot of people like it, but that album does nothing for me (except for the artwork, which is probably my favorite of all their albums). Adam Kasper's rougher live-off-the-floor approach was perfect for this band, but to me there's really only 4 or 5 quality songs on that record surrounded by a lot of filler, and I felt they were kinda spinning their wheels on that one. Personally I think WC was a much more focused and cohesive album overall, even though I despise Bob Rock's excessive production style. It's not exactly a return to form, but I still prefer it to IBE. I think the band purposely set out to make a big, loud, slick-sounding rock album (hence the hiring of Rock). For the most part I think they succeeded. There are some killer songs on that disc that I still enjoy despite the Bob Rock sheen (Ocean, Rink, Kids, Last Night I Dreamed, Drop-Off, and Family Band are all great).
Then comes WATS. Another album with too much filler and only a handful of standouts (Morning Moon, Last Recluse, Struggle, Depression Suite, Country Day). Not to mention they left one of the best songs from those sessions, Skeleton Park, on the cutting room floor in favor of mediocre songs like Coffee Girl and Queen of the Furrows. It's one of those rare Hip albums that I hardly ever listen to.
NFPA was a marked improvement from the Bob Rock era with better songs and slightly better production (although a bit muddy in spots as I mentioned earlier). It's a fairly solid Hip album that for me falls somewhere in the middle of their catalogue. I really like At Transformation, MMP, The Lookahead, NFPA, Modern Spirit, Done & Done, and Attawapiskat in particular.
Which brings us to the excellent MMP album. Personally I think it's the best thing they've done since Phantom Power, and I agree it definitely reversed any downward spiral the band may have been in at the time. It's the kind of album I've been wanting them to make for over a decade. I think songs like Machine, World Possessed, What Blue, In Sarnia, and Ocean Next can easily stand with their best work. I have a feeling that once the dust settles on the Hip's remarkable career, it'll be considered a late-career masterpiece by most fans.
