[emperor penguin]

killer whale tank when anyone offers an opinion, or says something positive about a Hip song:

[direwolf74]

Well this poll certainly didn't go the way I thought it would. It's baffling.

[andrew sharpe]

Actually I enjoy bantering with KWT.

As for "remaaaain," hey, Gord has always had those stretched out syllables, and they generally align nicely with his pugilistic singing style.

Fully (and completely) willing to admit I'm wrong here, but can you give me a pre-MAW example?

The idea that he ought to fill those bars with all sorts of unnecessary lyrics seems silly to me. Indeed, I really disagree with this idea that unless a lyric crams together billions of syllables and complicated words, it's no good.

LOL you really go the extra mile with your mischaracterizations. Well done

In case you really did misunderstand, what I meant was that on this album he makes no effort to stay in meter with the band (Stay being the best example). He speeds some lines up ("you're a fighter and a lover and there's no one up above her"), slows down others, and drags out syllables to fit ("you can stay but whhhhhhy"). It's more beat poetry than conventional melody. I expect he had the lyrics written before he even heard the songs, and just sang them as is. As I said, I don't mind the style on the solo albums, but I find it distasteful against the backdrop of the melodious and rhythmic beast of the Hip.

Just pointing out the reasons I don't care for this album and the two remaining songs in the poll.

[Killer Whale Tank]

I see what you mean about the metre. It's funny, though, "in a sink full of Ganges I remaaaaaain" sounds great to my ear - it seems to fit the rhythm perfectly to me. So I'm not hearing the problem you are in that specific instance. Something like "don'tmoveamuscle" on "Save the Planet" comes off to me as a more obvious example of what you mean - in this case, awkwardly cramming words in despite the song structure.

But the distinction in itself is interesting. The business of stretching syllables out to conform to a musical backdrop is close to standard practice in popular music, and never bothers me in the least unless it's carried to silly lengths (e.g., the endless successions of grace notes that mark the ridiculous "diva" style of singing). For instance, John Lennon's "weeeelll, ya knoooow" in "Revolution" is just another hook, it seems to me. Sounds great. But by contrast, I *am* often bothered by singers who awkwardly try to jam a whole bunch of extra syllables in where there is no place for them musically. Dylan is a rarity in his deft ability to pull this off. Most of the time it just sounds clumsy. (Elvis Costello is particularly bad at it). So the *stretching out* a word seems like serving the song, while *cramming in* a bunch of words seems like the singer/lyricist trying to impose themselves upon it. At least to me.

(I have to keep adding qualifiers like "at least to me" in order to avoid further accusations of being a jerk).

My earlier post mistook your position for a defence of this strange poll outcome (i.e., LF is better than M@W). Since LF also has long drawn out phrasings (notably in the chorus) it seemed to make no sense. But in fact, I'm with you in not being a fan of this album in general. It's just that the title track, unlike nearly every other song on the record, is tight, focused, urgent, and - imagine! - fun, so it always seemed the exception that proved the rule on this album for me.

[potsie]

I'm not surprised to see M@W faltering, based on the previous discussion in this round. For some reason, many Hip fans just seem to looooove Lake Fever. Like you, andrew sharpe, I'm not hearing it. And y'know, the fact that Paul's backing vocals are at the limit of his range is a sentimental curiosity, not really a reason to say it's a great song.

I agree that Paul's vocals would not be a strong reason to chose Lake Fever over My M@W (which is my horse in this race). However, his vocals are an integral part of the Hip sound and this song showcases him at his best, limited range and all. Even more impactful to the story-telling is Paul inhabiting the voice of one lover and Gord the other. Yesterday I had pondered why the band would have made the decision to have Paul sing a whole verse but as I listen to the song again it seems clear that involving Paul provides a differentiation between the two lovers and throws a second perspective into the narrative, which enriches it.

Want to be a nobody without fear
Want to be a thought that's never done
Want to shake your faith in human nature
Want to break the hearts of everyone.

Want to be your wheezing screen door
Want to be your stars of Algonquin
Want to be your roaring floorboard
Want to break the hearts of everyone."

To have had Gord sing both verses would have given the impression that each verse was the perspective of one individual. Having Paul provide a second voice lends the feel of a conversation. Interestingly there seems to be an imbalance of feelings between the two. The love is not unrequited but yet Paul's character is looking inward, whereas Gord's is more expressive with his declaration of a love that knows no bounds. Gord is willingly to throw himself headfirst into the relationship but Paul displays some tentativeness.

[potsie]

I've said this before but this album and CMG were Gord's first attempt at a more "arty/alternative" presentation. I have less of a problem with it on the solo albums, but part of the appeal of the hip is the blue-collar nature of the music...it's porridge, not salmon tartare...it sticks to your guts, your heart, your balls. Goes with beer and midnight, not scarves and tongue clucking. When Gord starts arting it up it just feels like he's distancing himself from the core...

I differ from you in thinking that the Hip is "blue-collar" music. The persona of the band could certainly be construed that way but I think the music itself left that description behind a long time ago, likely starting with DFN. When I think of blue collar music, I think of bands like AC/DC (whom I love) and Nickelback (whom I despise) where the music is written to generate a visceral reaction. It's written for the brainstem and not the cerebral cortex. The Hip, on the other hand, is more of a thinking man's band to me, although they can certainly generate a gut punch tune like the best of the blue collar bands.

I like your porridge description. There is a "warmth" to the Hip that is a big part of their appeal to me. That warmth is missing at times on M@W, although I do feel it is present on most of CMG despite it's artiness.

[direwolf74]

I differ from you in thinking that the Hip is "blue-collar" music. The persona of the band could certainly be construed that way but I think the music itself left that description behind a long time ago, likely starting with DFN. When I think of blue collar music, I think of bands like AC/DC (whom I love) and Nickelback (whom I despise) where the music is written to generate a visceral reaction. It's written for the brainstem and not the cerebral cortex. The Hip, on the other hand, is more of a thinking man's band to me, although they can certainly generate a gut punch tune like the best of the blue collar bands.

I agree with pretty much all of this. I think the last time the Hip could be referred to as a "blue collar" band was probably Road Apples. Then they transformed into something different with FC and DFN. At their heart they've always been a straight-up rock n' roll band, and one could argue that they revisited those roots later in their career. But I would say from DFN onwards they became more of an "art-rock" band, particularly with the way Downie's lyrics evolved and the way the band's arrangements became a bit more experimental.

[MountainHip]

Lake Fever, the song is about itself within it's own self. The overall rhythm of the song interlocks well with the lyrical content. Starts out fluid. The last verse speeds up into a triumphant crescendo. After all she did whisper "hurry" then, they talk in whispers again. I find it deeply hilarious when a crowd of 20,000 people are roaring right along with a song like this one. And the title - I have a thing for when 2 nouns are put together to to describe something, those nouns turn into identifiers of something totally different then their origins.

[Tomacco]

The discussions happening in this thread about lyrics, meter, etc are exactly why I don’t consider the Hip blue collar bar rock. There’s so much more, thanks to Gord. But the great thing is that you can enjoy them as a blue collar band because their music is often so incredible to just sing along and rock out to.

[robbroncs]

i'm gonna be honest here. M@W is one of my least favorite singles. although, in the video during "And when the sunlight gets the olive oil" will always give me goosebumps.

LF is an obvious winner fo me.

[Tomacco]

i'm gonna be honest here. M@W is one of my least favorite singles. although, in the video during "And when the sunlight gets the olive oil" will always give me goosebumps.

LF is an obvious winner fo me.

I agree. Always found M@W to be one of their simpler hits, not in the best way. It’s just really repetitive, and doesn’t really go anywhere. It starts kind of the same way it ends. I’ve always loved the buildup on Lake Fever, the harmonies, the bridge, the guitar, etc. I was thrilled to see it live twice in 2016 after never catching it in 20 shows.

[andrew sharpe]

Good points all, perhaps "blue collar" was the wrong phrase. They're clearly not AC/DC or Motorhead...or even Foo Fighters...but I just meant to say that they're not Bjork...but that GD's vocal melodies on MAW are.

MAW is the Canadian equivalent of that Lou Reed, Metallica album.